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Did you know...
| Literacy Action of Central Arkansas is celebrating 25 years of impacting the lives of individuals of Central Arkansas.
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"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."
-Margaret Mead
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Former Board Member Spotlight:
Jim Pfeiffer Literacy Action is working on Project: Reconnect. We are reconnecting with former board members and tutors. Beginning this month, we will "spotlight" a former board member. For the month of February, Jim Pfeiffer reflects... "I was a tutor from 1990-1997, served on the Board of Director form 1992-1997, and I served as President of the Board of Directors from 1996-1997. While I should probably be more humble, I am very proud of my time at Literacy Action. First, I am most proud of tutoring a 40 year old man who owned a business, yet concealed his problem of low literacy from everyone. We worked together for an amazing six years. "My most fun contribution was dreaming up the first of many successful "Nights at the Rep" fundraisers for Literacy Action. We would select literary plays on the Rep agenda every year and host an auction. Profit was made on tickets and sponsorships. Our first year's play was "To Kill A Mockingbird." The guest at the event was the then middle-aged teacher, who as a child played Gregory Peck's daughter, Scout, in the movie, To Kill a Mockingbird. She came to Little Rock and did stints on TV and radio advertising for Literacy Action and signed autographs at the Rep event. Governor Huckabee was gracious to house her at the Governor's Mansion. Great fun!" Jim, Literacy Action salutes your service and dedication!
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Thank You, UAMS
In our recent newsletter, we posted a request for a volunteer to compose a resource/community referral guide to assist the many people who need more help that Literacy Action can provide.
UAMS Psychiatric Institute answered that call.
Thank you, UAMS! The resource guide has been quite helpful!
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Any Unused Materials?
Please return unused books or workbooks to our office so that we may give those items to tutors in need of new materials. Thank you! |
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Tutoring Weekly? Report Weekly...
We encourage all our tutors to report your tutoring hours weekly, necessary in tracking time devoted and using the hours to assess students' progress.
Feel free to report hours using your smart phone (iphone, Android, Blackberry, etc...) or simply access the tutor link included in the weekly tutor e-mail.
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Literacy Action Newsletter
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Greetings!
As Literacy Action enters 25 years of serving Central Arkansas, our grass roots solution to solving the adult low literacy problem is pressing many people to get involved. January was an outstanding month for engaging new tutors, for we have trained 20 new literacy tutors and we had 10 prospective tutors to attend Literacy Action's Tutoring Tales event in Conway. A common thread among our new literacy advocates is the desire to expose new opportunities to low literate adults. One new tutor explained that it was hard for her to wrap her mind around the magnitude of the adult literacy problem, but at the very least, she said, "I can volunteer my time to teach a person to read."
Read in this Literacy Action news agenda how others in our community are getting involved. A group of ladies from the Seventh Day Adventist Church helped us organize a mid-week tutor training workshop, local artist Neal and Tammy Harrington are contributing their art to Shine a Light on Literacy event, and local community groups recently assisted Literacy Action.
With low literacy at the center of so many of the economic and social issues, now is a good time to think about how you can help. If you are hesitant about making a commitment to tutoring an adult through Literacy Action, take the time to think about the doors that have been opened to you through literacy.
I challenge you! Share this newsletter with three people by clicking the icon below. Making a difference is just a click away!
Regards, Neil Jones Executive Director Literacy Action of Central Arkansas |
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Literacy Action is proud to host the 4th Annual Shine A Light on Literacy, March 8, 2012 at the Grand Hall of the Arkansas Governor's Mansion.
Literacy Action of Central Arkansas teaches adults with low literacy to read, and non-native English speakers to read, write, and speak English. Over the last year, our volunteer literacy tutors have devoted over 5,000 hours to low literate adults. Since all of our services are free, Literacy Action depends on local support to advance the quality of life for individuals and families in our community. By focusing on one-on-one literacy instruction, we are changing lives...one word at a time.
Sponsorship opportunities are still available.
Please join us as we celebrate literacy, literature and art. |
Shine a Light Artists: Neal and Tammy Harrington
Every year, Shine a Light artists donate masterpieces to that
 | | Pictured: Neal and Tammy Harrington |
captures literature and literacy. For the past three years, artists Neal and Tammy Harrington have been contributors.
Tammy Harrington received a bachelor of fine arts, with an emphasis in Printmaking and Graphic Design from the University of South Dakota in Vermillion, South Dakota. She obtained a Master of Fine Arts with an emphasis in Printmaking from Wichita State University in Wichita, Kansas. Harrington is currently employed as an Associate Professor of Art at the University of the Ozarks in Clarksville, AR.
Tammy Harrington has shown in several regional and national exhibitions: Originals! Arkansas Women Artists, Small Works on Paper 2002, Prints U.S.A. at the Springfield Art Museum, ana 29 at the Holter Museum of Art, The Third Minnesota National Print Biennial, Sixty Square Inches National Small Print Exhibition at Purdue University Galleries, 29th Annual Juried Competition at the Masur Museum of Art, and the Delta National Small Prints exhibition at Arkansas State University. Her work was also included in the 2009 Arkansas Artists Engagement Calendar, sponsored by the Arkansas Governor's Mansion Association, Amity Art Foundation in Woodbridge, CT; The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, MA; Dennis Klein Purchase Collection at the University of South Dakota, and the White House Ornament Collection in Washington, D.C.
 | (Reading Adventure, 2011) by Tammy Harrington
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Tammy Harrington's art donations to Shine a Light use the Chinese papercut technique. The papercut is a traditional Chinese folk art technique that is utilized iconography, superstition, and decorative in its expression.
In Tammy's words...
"I enjoy participating in Shine a Light on Literacy. This opportunity allows me to use my artistic abilities as a community service and volunteer opportunity. We all have contributions that we can make for the betterment of society. Plus, the reception at the Governor's Mansion is always a great way the spend a night."
Neal Harrington, Tammy's spouse of fourteen years, was born and raised in South Dakota.
He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts with an emphasis on painting from the University of South Dakota, and a Master of Fine Arts with an emphasis on printmaking from Wichita State University in Wichita, Kansas.
Neal is currently an Associate Professor and Gallery Director at Arkansas Tech University.
His honors and awards include a cash award and Friends of the Springfield Art Museum Purchase Award at the MOAK: 4 State Regional Exhibition, Second Place Award a the Annual Juried Art Competition at the South Arkansas Arts Center, and the Purchase Award for
 | (A Little Light Reading, monoprint, 2010)
by Neal Harrington
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Small Works on Paper at the Arkansas Arts Council.
Neal Harrington's work has been included in various National and Regional Exhibitions, including Rueff Galleries School of Visual & Performing Arts at Purdue University, 45th Annual Juried Artist Exhibition (Juried Exhibition [2]) at St. Tammany Art Association in Covington, LA, and the Hard Travelin' Man (Solo Exhibition [25]) at Maxine's Pub in Hot Springs, AR, just to list a few.
Springfield Art Museum Collection in Springfield, MO and Kyoto International Woodprint Association Collection in Kyoto, Japan have also featured the artwork of Neal Harrington.
An excerpt on Neal supporting Literacy Action...
"I believe that Literacy Action of Central Arkansas is important. When I create a work of art to be donated to the organization, I want to express my love of reading visually and create something beautiful, funny, or both, in the hope that a patron will purchase, thus supporting the Literacy Action program."
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Tutoring Tales in Conway...Success
Tutoring Tales in Conway was nothing short of amazing. About 30 people were in attendance with about 10 people who
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Dr. Mary Mosley, Literacy Action board member and trainer, complimenting Kelly Bullington on the great work she is doing in Conway.
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were potential tutors. Tutors and students were in attendance, sharing stories about their journey and success. For those who weren't there, let's recapture Tutoring Tales.Mark is a student in Conway who has been working with tutors for several years. When began tutoring with Literacy Action, he only knew his letters, but not the sounds of each letter. His tutoring curriculum began in Laubach 1 and he is now in Challenger 4. His tutor along with Literacy Action's AmeriCorps member in Conway, Meyshana Jones, is working with him on studying the necessary material so he can obtain his plumbing license.Bill Foster, current Literacy Action board member, was Mark's first tutor. Bill was able to reunite with Mark, after several years, at the tutoring tales reception. Bill was able "catch-up" with his former student and hear about the amazing progress Mark has made.Another true tale told belonged to Marie. Marie came to the United States from Cameroon, Africa, a country in Africa that is bordered by Nigeria to the west and the Republic of Congo to the South. Public education was not available to her native country, and she never attended school. Marie began working with her first ESL tutor, Pat Mize, who has been a literacy and ESL tutor for 25 with the Faulkner County Literacy Council and Literacy Action.Pat Mize taught Marie her numbers, the English alphabet, and conversational English. She is currently being tutored by Pat Hatfield, who raved about Marie's hard work and positive spirit, which has enabled Marie to learn many new things for the first time.Marie's son-in-law shared that the entire family, especially her grandchildren, have benefited from Marie learning to read and write.Though Marie is being given the gift of literacy, she is giving back as well. Marie makes clothing and sells her products. She makes a profit, of course, but she does not keep it. Marie sends profit from her sales to her family in Cameroon, so the children in her family will be able to receive what she did not as a child, an education."Our tutoring tales reception exceeded my expectations",said Kelly Bullington, Program Coordinator for Literacy Action in Conway. "We have a wonderful group of people committed to literacy in Faulkner County and the reception was absolute proof of that. I was inspired and moved by the stories shared by our tutors and students. To hear how literacy and ESL tutoring makes a real difference in the lives of real people, is an encouragement to me. I am confident and expecting of great things for the future of Literacy Action in Faulkner County."To join the Literacy Action team of tutors in Conway, contact Kelly Bullington at [email protected] or call (501)379.7323.
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Two Classes...Kicking Off the New Year...Impacting the Community
Literacy Action began 2012 with new ESL and Adult Basic classes. Most of these tutors were assigned students the day of their training session. Some tutors from latest ESL training class are reporting of successful tutoring sessions and the bonds they are creating by assuring their students that they will assist them in achieving their goals.
We were happy to have the ladies from Shiloh Seventh Day Adventist Church help organize and attend our Adult Basic Tutor Training on January 31st! They will be tutoring at their church! Thank you, Joan Ballantyne of Shiloh Seventh Day Adventist Church for leading this partnership.
 | First Adult ESL Tutoring Class of 2012
Pictured Above: Front - Marion Dyer, Dr. Marylyn Parins (trainer), Terry Sandlin, Gail Vaughn, and Brandi Jennings
Pictured Above: Back - Tish DePriest, Holly Villines (trainer), Connie Wardell, Melissa Woods, Dr. Mary Mosley (trainer), Caitlin Love, and Gary Wimberly (not pictured: Jenny Rainwater)
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First Adult Basic Tutoring Class of 2012
Pictured: Front - Cassondra Rector, Tatyanna Stubblefield, Deborah Roberts, Dr. Marylyn Parins (trainer), Anita Joshi
Pictured: Back - Joan Ballantyne, Norma Richardson, Holly Villines (trainer), Lea Marshall, Chris Rice, Natalie Darnell, Christie Whitlock
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Don't miss the next Adult Basic tutor training on Saturday, February 4, 2012. It is not too late to sign-up. To sign-up, access the registration link below or contact Literacy Action's Literacy Coordinator, Shelly Owens at [email protected] or call (501)372.7323.
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Many Thanks to Central High School National Historic Site
Literacy Action of Central Arkansas is grateful for the books that were collected at Central High School National Historic Site during the city's observance of Kwanzaa. A little over 100 books were donated by students and teachers of Little Rock Central High School and members of the community.
The books collected will be used to enhance our family literacy program.
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Pictured (left to right): Barbara Dunn, Shana Beal, Program Coordinator for Literacy Action of Central Arkansas in Little Rock, and Brian Schweiger, Park Guide/VIP Coordinator at Central High Historic Site |
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