Sunday, March 12, 2006

Burbank Library - Words of Wisdom in Burbank

Words of Wisdom in Burbank
Daily News of Los Angeles: March 8, 2006 by Rick Coca

Anna Nelson, a volunteer tutor with the Burbank Adult Literacy program, had been warned at orientation that many of the people she and her fellow volunteers would teach would view reading as a chore - not a pleasurable pastime.

Typically, students signed up for the program because they didn't want to lose a job that required reading, got sick of taking an oral driver's license test or wanted to help their children do homework.

They weren't there because they wanted to cozy up in front of the fireplace with a good book.

So after months of working with a student who had very little reading skills coming into the program, Nelson, a retired school nurse and Burbank resident, was ecstatic to learn that the woman had stated in a curriculum report that she enjoyed reading.

``It was Christmas all over again,'' Nelson said. ``(I) wanted my learner to learn how to read and enjoy it, and she is.''

William S. Byrne has been literacy coordinator for the program since 1998. The program is largely state-funded and open to English-speaking adults 18 and over with an eighth-grade or lower reading level. The program is ongoing and pairs about 30 students and volunteer teachers.

. . .
On March 30, Burbank Literacy Services will will hold its 10th anniversary fundraising Trivia Challenge at Castaway restaurant, with proceeds going toward its various literacy programs. To purchase tickets to the event, which will also include a silent auction and door prizes, or to inquire about the literacy program, call (818) 238-5577.  READ MORE

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