Literacy – Spanning North America :: Tarrytown NY :: Jasper AL :: Kelowna BC

Literacy: Spanning North America

Literacy Volunteers of the Tarrytowns Celebrating 45 Years

Hudson Independent: 11.30.2019 by Tom Pedulla

Sean Weiner wanted to find a way to be a better neighbor. It used to bother him when he made eye contact with someone of a different ethnic background at a local store and that stranger remained a stranger.

Weiner decided to take a small, yet in another sense, huge step by helping to fill the great need for tutors at Literacy Volunteers of the Tarrytowns. He was eventually paired with Andres, a young family man from Ecuador who has been in the United States for nine years. Andres, a carpenter, already was relatively advanced in his ability to speak English but needed to refine his skills.

They meet for the suggested two hours per week and formed a bond neither might have envisioned before they were brought together by Literacy Volunteers, which is based at Warner Library in Tarrytown.  READ MORE >>

Literacy Council 

Walker County

Resident Learns To Read Through Literacy Council

Mountain Eagle: 10.06.2019 by Nicole Smith

Imagine longing for an education, an opportunity only steps away but still out of reach.

"I used to pick cotton and watch a school bus go by and cry because I wasn't on that bus," Walker County resident Sharon Burton said in tears. "I wanted to be on that bus. I didn't want to be in that cotton field."

On Tuesday at The Literacy Council of Walker County office, Burton recalled the many times she carried a 50-pound bag of cotton through hot fields. She wasn't required to go to school and wasn't learning to read or write at the time; instead, her labor was vital in a family of nearly 20 children.

"We had to work. We had to feed the babies. We had to pay the bills," she said.

Burton was originally from Double Springs and raised in Chicago, and as the years passed by she held on to an affirmation.

"One day I will read. One day I will write. One day I will learn, and there's somebody out there for me," she told herself.  READ MORE >>

@ProLitCOS

Learning To Read Got Man Off The Streets

Kelowna Daily Courier: 9.26.2019

Two years ago, Adam was homeless. He had spent the last 20 years as an alcoholic, going from minimum wage job to job with only a Grade 10 level education.

As he began to get help with his addiction, councillors at Freedom’s Door pointed him to Project Literacy Central Okanagan Society. As a child, Adam did well in school and 20 years later, he had a goal to finish high school and begin college. Adam felt respected by the staff at Project Literacy, describing his first time walking in as “warm, welcoming and uplifting.” Project Literacy’s educators helped Adam to set a goal ‚ to take his LPI and get accepted into the Electronics Engineering program at Okanagan College.

“Part of my journey was rediscovering my born talent — a gift for working with electronics,” Adam said.

He came to Project Literacy on a regular basis, completing practice essays and comprehension tests. One of the most memorable moments of his literacy journey was writing an impressive essay off the top of his head. He says that he’ll never forget the educators “running to the other offices and showing it off to people.” Having his talents and abilities celebrated was a new experience for him.  READ MORE >>