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Did you know...
| In the U.S., 30 million people over age 16 - 14 percent of the country's adult population - don't read well enough to understand a newspaper story written at the eighth grade level or fill out a job application.
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"Once you learn to read, you will be forever free."
- Frederick Douglass
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Congrats to our new ESL tutors!
Larry Partin
Lauren Remedios
Harrison Mitchell
JT Terry
Keith Owens
Abeer El-Anwar
Verkeytia Harris-Long
Tish McClure
Marc Conforto
George Norton
Trainers - Marylyn Parins and Louene Lipsmeier
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Unused materials?
Tutors & students: We are running low on tutoring materials. If you currently possess any learning materials that you are not using, please return them to our office so that we may give those items to tutors in need of new materials. Thank you!
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Literacy Action Newsletter
September 2011 |
Dear Friends of Literacy Action,
Encouraging news! We have trained 24 new volunteer literacy tutors since August. In fact, the training workshops held in August and September were filled early and we actually had to cut off registration early because we reached our meeting capacity.
Over the last few months, we have stepped up our recruiting efforts to attract more volunteer tutors, and it may be paying off. I have been impressed with the number of people reaching out to us wishing to volunteer to teach critical literacy skills. Although we have increased the number of trained tutors, it is not enough to meet the demand. A new walk-in adult learner will likely have to wait several months before they are paired with a literacy tutor. Because we do not actively seek new students, we have not even begun to address the huge need for our services. There are over 30,000 illiterate adults in central Arkansas who would have difficulty in reading this newsletter.
Our board and staff are continuing to explore new ways that can better serve the adults in our community who are trying to take a step toward a better life though literacy. Stay tuned-in for updates in future newsletters.
Take a few minutes to read more Literacy Action news...
- Katie Keen heads to Bolivia as Shelly Owens takes Literacy Coordinator position
- New tutor workshops are scheduled for November and January
- Gajeni Chandromohan earns U.S. Citizenship
- Check out the new way to report tutor hours by using your smart phone.
- New Literacy Action brochures are available for recruiting volunteer tutors
I would like to thank all of our volunteer tutors for the many hours you contribute each week to make a difference in the lives of our adult students and I would like to give a special thanks to our new tutors who have joined us in the struggle to eliminate illiteracy in our community.
- Neil
P.S. - Please remember that it takes all of us to make a difference. If you are not able to volunteer as a literacy tutor, explore other ways to volunteer, tell others about our cause or make a donation.
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Katie Keen Heads to Bolivia.... Shelly Owens Now New Literacy Coordinator
 | | Katie Keen |
Katie Keen, our former Program Coordinator, departed our office last month for a seven month adventure to Bolivia where she will be working with a women's literacy program that she discovered through Soroptimist.
The program, which takes place in Cochabamba, is not only geared towards teaching women to read - it also focuses on teaching Spanish as a third language to young girls. As a junior at UALR, Katie is majoring in International Studies and Spanish. She first started at Literacy Action as an AmeriCorps scholar in 2009 and used the education stipend that she earned through the program to study abroad in Mexico in Fall 2010. Upon returning to the states, Katie came back to Literacy Action of Central Arkansas where she tutored in basic literacy and English skills.
We wish Katie the best of luck on Bolivia and we hope that she gets to see the salt flats!
For those of you who would like to become a tutor or recommend someone for our tutoring program, Shelly Owens is now taking over as our new Literacy Coordinator. Please contact her with any questions you may have by calling 501-372-7323. |
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LACA Student Becomes U.S. Citizen
Way to go, Gajeni!
Our student, Gajeni Chandromohan, took the Oath of
Allegiance on Friday, September 16, 2011.
Her naturalization ceremony was held on Constitution Day at the Clinton Library with one the largest groups in recent years (149 people from 55 countries) pledging to be loyal and responsible citizens of the United States. Gajeni, who is originally from Sri Lanka, has spent the last five years working with LACA to boost her literacy skills through our ESL tutoring conversational class held at Pleasant Valley Church (10900 Rodney Parham).
Congratulations to Gajeni for accomplishing one of her goals!
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Upcoming Events and Trainings
ESL Training
Sign-up for the January Workshop!
The ESL Training Workshop scheduled for January 14th will prepare you to teach English to a non-native speaker. The workshop will include an orientation to Literacy Action's mission and the ways we are working to solve adult literacy problems in Central Arkansas. Training includes an orientation to working with adult literacy students, as well specific information on tutoring techniques for teaching English as a second language. We will also discuss lesson planning and documentation. Contact Shelly Owens, sowens@literacylittlerock.org , 501-372-7323 if would like more information. To register on line, visit the Literacy Action web site. *****
Adult Basic Tutor Workshop
The next Adult Basic Tutor Workshop is scheduled for November 12, 2011. Over the last few months, the number of adults seeking help with literacy skills has continued to be strong. Currently we have over 10 adult literacy students waiting to be assigned to a tutor and we are receiving 2 - 3 new students each week. Tell a friend about tutoring opportunities with Literacy Action. We would be happy to answer any question they may have.
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Use your smartphone to report hours!
 Attention tutors! You can now turn in your hours with your smart phone (iPhone, Android, Blackberry, etc.)
Contact Shelly Owens for more information at sowens@literacylittlerock.org.
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Annoucements!
We have a new tutor recruiting brochure!
We have a new LACA brochure! This new addition to the LACA toolkit will be used for direct mail and volunteer events! If you would like a copy of our brochure, please call the office at 501-372-7323. Computer Lab Now Open
 | Tutor Sherri Damerow with student Earnest Crisswell
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The computer lab is now open and ready for more students. Several students are working on various programs now, and we look forward to assigning more students in the weeks to come. Our ESL students are using Rosetta Stone, as well as other English language programs. Basic literacy students have a range of programs covering phonics, spelling, and reading. The computer lab provides learning opportunities for new students who are waiting on a tutor and for current students who would like to supplement their lessons. Tutors, if you would like to use the lab with your students, just call and set up a time. We also need more volunteers to assist students; if you have a few hours a week to give, please let us know. Computer lab hours are 9:00 - 12:00 and 1:00 - 4:00 Monday thru Thursday, and 9:00 - 12:00 on Fridays.
Contact Shelly Owens, sowens@literacylittlerock.org for more information.
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Follow-up from our International Interior Design event
On Thursday, September 15th, Literacy Action was the featured local nonprofit at International Interior Design's open house. We were able to spread the word about our organization to a new crowd and we received 10% of the sales from the evening!
We would like to give a special thanks to Renee Trammell for sharing her volunteer perspective with the group! *****
LACA holds successful ESL Workshop
On Saturday, September 17, Literacy Action trained 10 ESL tutors! The workshop was led by Marylyn Parins and Louene Lipsmeier. Thanks to all who participated!
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Volunteer! We are also looking for office volunteers for shifts on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9 to 12! |
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In Memorial
On September 26th, beloved tutor and literacy advocate Missy Anderson passed away. Missy and her student LeRoy met at the library twice a week for their tutoring session. For nearly three years, they had been working together -- and they had only missed three sessions. Missy took her work seriously and had a lot of fun in the process. She set an example for ALL who desire to make a difference in our community through literacy.
We will miss her dearly.
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