Literacy:
Spanning the U.S.
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| @KenoshaLiteracy |
Literacy
Council to celebrate 50th anniversary
Kenosha News: 11.09.2015 by Heather Larson Poyner
Susana
Jamaica loves to read. Her recent favorite books are “The Hunger Games” and “I
Am Malala.”
A
native Spanish speaker, not long ago she would have been unable to read these
in English.
When
Jamaica came to Kenosha from Mexico with her young son in January 2013, she
knew virtually no English. Today she is a quality assurance manager at Calumet
Meats, attends classes at Gateway Technical College and spends her free time
finding new books to read at the library.
For
Maria Dewsbury, all learning is exciting. Each week she relishes classes,
tutoring and a book club held at the Kenosha Literacy
Council, 2419 63rd St. “It’s a wonderful place ... so magical.
I just can’t get away,” she said.
Jamaica
and Dewsbury are award-winning learners. On Saturday, they will recognized at
the Kenosha Literacy Council’s 50th anniversary celebration at 5:30 p.m. at the
Kenosha Country Club, 500 13th Ave. Jamaica will be honored as English Language
Learner of the Year, Dewsbury as Adult Literacy Learner of the Year.
Role
model
For
the past five years, Dewsbury has worked with KLC tutors, has participated in
numerous classes and a book club.
“Maria
is now a role model and leader for other students at the council,” KLC
executive director Cheryl Hernandez said.
Dewsbury,
52, who works as delivery supervisor for the Kenosha News, came to the United
States from Spain 25 years ago. She began learning English 13 years ago.
Attending
the KLC offerings opened a new world to her, she said. She particularly enjoys
sharing perspectives with newcomers from other countries.
“I’m
continually learning,” she said. READ MORE !
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| @WarderMice |
Literacy Coalition’s
mission essential to community
Highly functional readers needed to fill jobs, grow workforce
Springfield News Sun: 11.12.2015 by
Michael McDorman
Sitting on the corner of
Spring and High streets is one of the most historic and picturesque buildings
in downtown Springfield. And while it can be lauded for its architectural
splendor, what takes place inside adds to its importance as a local landmark.
The Clark County Literacy Coalition, located
in the former Warder Public Library, was founded in 1989. It does what its name
implies — addresses literacy issues among a diverse population.
The CCLC works with
everyone from school-age children to adults and those whose first language is
not English. The list of services includes:
• The Adult Basic
Literacy Education program serves adults who need basic literacy help, whether
it be reading so they can read to their own children or obtaining a GED.
• English Speakers of
Other Languages addresses those who need to learn to speak our language.
• Teach Children to Read
focuses on children who meet the following criteria: are two levels behind
their current grade level and assessed between fifth grade or below in reading.
The ever-growing need
for a highly skilled workforce demands that everyone be a highly functional
reader if they expect to access the better paying occupations that in many
cases go unfilled due to lack of qualified candidates. For that reason, you can
see how important the Literacy Coalition is to our community’s success in
attracting and filling jobs that require a high degree of competency. READ MORE !
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The gift of literacy
Biz Times: 11.12.2015 by Erica Breunlin
When Darlene Wise
completes her General Education Development tests, she will be the first of her
mother’s seven children to secure a high school-level education through a
traditional track.
The day she holds her
diploma in her hands, she will be among the “happiest” people in Milwaukee, she
said.
Wise, a lifelong
Milwaukee resident, is pursuing her GED with help from Literacy Services of
Wisconsin, a Milwaukee nonprofit that educates adults who have struggled
academically so they can live more independent and productive lives.
Wise is one of about
400 students who walk through the doors of Literacy Services each week for
assistance in English language learning, adult basic education programs, GED preparation,
computer literacy, financial literacy and workforce readiness. READ MORE !
Weil looks to build on success of Literacy Council
BlueRidge Now: 11.14.2015 by Stephen
Kindland
Directly or indirectly,
illiteracy affects everyone in a community.
That’s a meaningful
statement, especially since it comes from Autumn Weil, the new executive
director of the nonprofit Blue Ridge Literacy
Council.
“Education creates
stronger citizens,” said Weill, adding that higher learning helps people to
obtain – and maintain – better jobs, which in turn lead to more responsibility
and benefit employers and the community in general.
But nationally, only 13
percent of adults living in the U.S. have proficient reading levels. Forty-four
percent are considered intermediate; 29 percent are listed as basic; and 14
percent are below basic, according to the National Association of American
Literacy.
In Henderson County, 76
percent of adults have intermediate to proficient reading levels, according to
the local council. Another 14 percent are considered basic, and 10 percent are
below basic.
Eventually those
numbers will improve, says Weil, who works out of the council’s office in the
Continuing Education building at Blue Ridge Community College. READ MORE !
Champions of Adult
Literacy honored at Harrah’s
DelcoNewsNetwork: 11.18.2015
In the 40 years Delaware County Literacy Council (DCLC)
has been providing free literacy services to local adults “much has changed to
the positive,” according to Bob Preston, one of the founders of the
organization and one of the honorees at the Third Annual “Champions of Adult
Literacy” Awards Reception on November 10 at Harrah’s Casino in Chester.
The event honored four
“Champions” who have made important contributions during DCLC’s 40 years.
Preston and several other community leaders in the Chester area started the
Literacy Council in 1975 as a grassroots movement to train their neighbors to
tutor adults in reading and writing. “When you were trained, you started
tutoring wherever it was needed,” Preston told those in attendance. Preston
still trains DCLC volunteer tutors today. He thanked the audience for
supporting DCLC and helping the organization grow stronger in its mission.
Other honorees included
Gwen Cottman, a recently retired DCLC instructor who taught evening GED classes
at the Literacy Council for 30 years. Cottman was introduced at the event by
one of her former students, Betty Vick Dorsey. Dorsey praised Cottman as someone
with “the ability to persevere through anything” and someone who helped her to
achieve “something I had been waiting 50 years for”—her GED. Cottman, in turn,
praised all of her students throughout the years for juggling their adult
responsibilities and still pressing on with their studies. “I’m so proud of
them,” she said. READ MORE !
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