CA & National Literacy Calendar: February 2011

California Literacy Calendar: February 2011

SCLLN Literacy & Library Events & Conferences

- local, California and National -

visit

Southern California Library Literacy Network

for more information

Info about local Tutor Training Workshops is always Scrolling in the Right Frame.


Local and California Literacy Events: February 2011
African American Read-In: Feb 1 - 28
Feb 1 @ 1:30pm: Save California Library Literacy Funding Hearings
Senate Budget Subcom – Rm 3191, State Capitol WRITE CALL FAX
Feb 4: SAVE LIBRARY & LITERACY FUNDING – Day In The District
Feb 4: Spanish Literacy Orientation – Centro Latino Literacy @ 10am
Feb 4: Evening with the Stars Literacy Recognition – READ/San Diego
Feb 5: ScrabbleThon – Escondido Library
Feb 7 @ 9:00am: Save California Library Literacy Funding Hearings
Assembly Budget Subcom – Rm 444, State Capitol WRITE CALL FAX
Feb 10: Fun Facts Early Literacy – SDPL Mission Valley Branch @ 9am
Feb 11+: Dyslexia Conf – IEB – Riverside
Feb 11+: CATE Conf – Sacramento
Feb 12: Sensory Friendly Film GNOMEO & JULIET @ AMC Theaters
Feb 15: Literacy Tutor Workshop – Kern Adult Literacy Co @ 5:30pm
Feb 18+: CARS+ Convention – Sacramento
Feb 24: Spelling Bee Fundraiser – SD Council Literacy @ 5:30pm
Feb 25+: Southern California Kindergarten Conf – Pasadena

National Literacy Events: February 2011
African American Read-In: Feb 1 - 28
Feb 5+: Natl Reading Recovery Literacy Conf – Columbus
Feb 11: Literacy Institute – Houston
Feb 12: Sensory Friendly Film GNOMEO & JULIET @ AMC Theaters
Feb 16+: NABE Conf – New Orleans
Feb 22+: NAREN Conf – Panama City
Feb 23+: Learning Disability Conf – Jacksonville
Feb 24+: US Conf on Adult Literacy - MilwaukeeLegacy: Treasures of Black History - Edited by Thomas C. Battle and Donna M. Wells - National Geographic, 2006

Monrovia Library - Library's Literacy Program Seeking Help

Library's Literacy Program Seeking Help
The library's new literacy coordinator is looking for tutors.
Monrovia Patch: January 8, 2011 by Alison Roeske

In a world where the ability to read or write can have a huge impact on an individual’s success, a literacy tutor can be "like a travel agent for the learner," said Kathy Knudsen, the new Literacy Coordinator for the Monrovia Public Library.

The library’s literacy program provides support for those who need to improve their literacy skills. Learners get one-on-one sessions with volunteer tutors from throughout the community and have access to a variety of learning materials.

Both Knudsen and Melanie Goodyear, who also coordinates volunteer opportunities at the library, say that more literacy tutors are urgently needed in 2011. There are about 75 volunteer tutors in the program, but there is also a list of 15 to 20 learners who are still waiting for tutors.

Tutoring requires a six-month commitment of about two hours per week, including preparation time.

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Anyone interested in learning more about the literacy program should contact Kathy Knudsen, Literacy Coordinator or call 626-256-8272. READ MORE !

Orange Co Library - Tutor Profile: Frizti Goldberg

Tutor Profile: Frizti Goldberg
READ/OC Newsletter: Jan 2011

After watching the 1989 film, Stanley and Iris, starring Robert DeNiro and Jane Fonda, about a volunteer literacy tutor helping a man learn to read better and change his life, Fritzi Goldberg decided that helping another adult to read better was something she had to do.

Even though work and personal commitments dominated Fritzi’s time, she did not let go of her desire to help another adult change their life by learning to read and write better. Years later in 2005, she joined the READ/OC team as a volunteer tutor. Soon after, she enhanced her skills and completed training for the Wilson Reading System® to use in her tutoring sessions with her learner. Her commitment to literacy and READ/OC continued to increase and Fritzi enrolled in the assessor training and then trainers’ training. She has been a member of READ/OC’s training team since 2008, and is now the lead trainer for READ/OC.

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If you are inspired by Fritzi’s story, and want to help another adult change their life while changing your own, call READ/OC at 714-566-3070. And remember to share your READ/OC story with a friend who might want to do the same! READ MORE !

Save California Library & Literacy Funding

SAVE PUBLIC LIBRARY FUNDING !
Letters, Phone Calls, Faxes, Emails

California Spends 1/20 of 1%
of the General Fund on Libraries




If the General Fund = $ 1.00



1% is 1 Penny



1/20 of a Penny !

California State Budget
2000: $76.7 Million in support of our California Libraries
2010: $30.4 Million in support of our California Libraries
2011: ZERO Dollars in support of our California Libraries !

Hearings Schedule: Write - Call - Fax - email
Federal Funding is also in Jeopardy
Feb 1 – 1:30pm: Senate Budget Subcom – Rm 3191, State Capitol
Feb 7 – 9:00am: Assembly Budget Subcom – Rm 444, State Capitol

Senate Budget Subcommittee Number 1 on Education Finance

The Honorable Carol Liu, Chair
State Capitol, Room 5061 - Sacramento, CA. 95814
Phone: (916) 651-4021
Fax: (916) 324-7543

The Honorable Bob Huff, Member
State Capitol, Room 5097 - Sacramento, CA. 95814
Phone: (916) 651-4029
Fax: (916) 324-0922

The Honorable Roderick Wright, Member
State Capitol, Room 5064 - Sacramento, CA. 95814
Phone: (916) 651-4025
Fax: (916) 445-3712

Assembly Budget Subcommittee Number 2 on Education Finance

The Honorable Susan Bonilla, Chair
State Capitol, Room 2188 - Sacramento, CA. 95814
Phone: (916) 319-2011
Fax: (916) 319-2111

The Honorable Bill Berryhill, Member
State Capitol, Room 3141 - Sacramento, CA. 95814
Phone: (916) 319-2026
Fax: (916) 319-2126

The Honorable Julia Brownley , Member
State Capitol, Room 2163 - Sacramento, CA. 95814
Phone: (916) 319-2041
Fax: (916) 319-2141

The Honorable Brian Nestande, Member
State Capitol, Room 4139 - Sacramento, CA. 95814
Phone: (916) 319-2064
Fax: (916) 319-2164

The Honorable Sandre Swanson, Member
State Capitol, Room 6012 - Sacramento, CA. 95814
Phone: (916) 319-2016
Fax: (916) 319-2116

Find your Assembly Member or State Senator

Governor Jerry Brown
c/o State Capitol, Suite 1173
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: (916) 445-2841

Save California Public Library and Literacy Funding
Libraries, Adult Learners and Volunteer Tutors Thank You for Your Help !

Save California Public Library & Literacy Funding

SAVE PUBLIC LIBRARY LITERACY FUNDING !
Letters, Phone Calls, Faxes, Emails

California Library Literacy Services: 2009-2010
$4.558 million budget provided services to low-literacy adults and their families. Return on Investment: Every $1 of state funds leverages $4 in additional funds

Adult Literacy and Families for Literacy105 Public Libraries provided services for:
42,497 Adults
46,983 Children
30,043 Children’s books were distributed
12,098 Volunteers provided 826,002 hours of free tutoring
= $19.34M Using EDD's average California hourly wage figure for 2010 of $23.42

Mobile Library Literacy Services
@ low-income housing developments, migrant camps, daycare centers and health clinics.
14,579 parents and caregivers
32,776 at-risk children (ages 0 - 5)

English Language & Literacy Intensive (ELLI)
9,037 school children struggling to learn English were served
5,137 of their English language learning parents

Most of the local/private funds would not be made available without the state's money to leverage.

Job Outcomes for Adult Learners
59% were able to complete a job application
45% wrote a resume
42% interviewed for a job
28% actually secured a job or were promoted at work

Voting Outcomes for Adult Learners49% were able to vote for the first time
43% became volunteers in their community

Library-based literacy programs are their only hope.

Here's what one adult learner had to say . . . . . .
"I could read a little bit, but not that good, and I've been to almost every prison in California....I lived on the other side and now I'm here and it is nice. It's a big difference. After I get my GED, I plan to go to community college. I want to study accounting. My dream is to come back and help someone else like they helped me."

2011 SCLLN Literacy Conference

SCLLN Literacy Conference 2011: March 5

Buena Park Holiday Inn

8:00 am – 4:00 pm

Lunch
Writer To Writer Awards Ceremony

Early Bird Registration: Feb 15, 2011

- click here for Form –

$ 35.00: SCLLN Tutors and Staff
$ 10.00: Adult Learners
$ 50.00: Non-Members
Luncheon Ceremony Only: $ 35.00

After Feb. 15:
$ 50.00: SCLLN Tutors and Staff
$ 15.00: Adult Learners
$ 75.00: Non-Members
Luncheon Ceremony Only: $ 50.00

Win A Free Admission – see Q below

From the beginning of the establishment of library literacy programs by the California State Library in 1984, library programs in Southern California have been meeting to share resources and ideas, and address literacy issues. The Southern California Library Literacy Network (SCLLN) was formalized in 1985.

Some of the 21 Workshops
Health & Wellness the Easy Way
Stories in Our Lives – Family Stories
Writing from the Senses
Preserving Literacy in Hard Times
How to Publish Your eBook
Powerful Strategies Improve Student’s Writing
Becoming Effective Spokesperson, P 1&2
7 Keys to Decoding
Money 101
Wacky for WIKIS, Blogs
Resume Interview Skills
Using Wordless Picture Books

Adult Learner Workshops
Learning to Read in Adulthood
Writer To Writer Challenge
Creative Writing for Learners

What was the SCLLN Group Facebook post on Jan 21, 2011 about ?
Winner = The Correct Answer with the earliest email or postmark.

CLA: Save Public Library Funding

CLA NEEDS YOUR HELP - BUDGET CUTS
SAVE PUBLIC LIBRARY FUNDING !

Letters, Phone Calls, Faxes, Emails

BUDGET HEARING DATES SET
CLA Blog: January 21, 2011
by M Dillon & C DiCaro, CLA Lobbyists

The Governor wants a decision on a $12 Billion Cut by the first part of March.

Hearings for the Elimination of this $12 Billion include:
~ Public Library Foundation = $12.9 Million
~ California Library Services Act (TBR) = $12.9Million
~ Literacy program = $4.6Million

Feb 1 – 1:30pm: Senate Budget Subcom – Rm 3191, State Capitol
Feb 7 – 9:00am: Assembly Budget Subcom – Rm 444, State Capitol

IMPORTANT NOTE: If we are not successful in getting some of this money restored by the subcommittees, all may be lost.

The loss of the CSLA funding would not only mean an eventual loss in federal funds as well as state funds, but it would also lead to the total dismantling of the book and material sharing between libraries.

There may be as many as 67% of communities that would not have any access to a literacy program if the Governor's cuts were enacted. Adult education programs do not exist in these communities.

100% elimination of 3 important programs is unfair and unacceptable to the library patrons of California.

Put a personal face on these cuts.

Senate Budget Subcommittee Number 1 on Education Finance
The Honorable Carol Liu, Chair
State Capitol, Room 5061 - Sacramento, CA. 95814
Phone: (916) 651-4021
Fax: (916) 324-7543

The Honorable Bob Huff, Member
State Capitol, Room 5097 - Sacramento, CA. 95814
Phone: (916) 651-4029
Fax: (916) 324-0922
The Honorable Roderick Wright, Member
State Capitol, Room 5064 - Sacramento, CA. 95814
Phone: (916) 651-4025
Fax: (916) 445-3712

Assembly Budget Subcommittee Number 2 on Education Finance
The Honorable Susan Bonilla, Chair
State Capitol, Room 2188 - Sacramento, CA. 95814
Phone: (916) 319-2011
Fax: (916) 319-2111
The Honorable Bill Berryhill, Member
State Capitol, Room 3141 - Sacramento, CA. 95814
Phone: (916) 319-2026
Fax: (916) 319-2126
The Honorable Julia Brownley , Member
State Capitol, Room 2163 - Sacramento, CA. 95814
Phone: (916) 319-2041
Fax: (916) 2141
The Honorable Brian Nestande, Member
State Capitol, Room 4139 - Sacramento, CA. 95814
Phone: (916) 319-2064
Fax: (916) 319-2164
The Honorable Sandre Swanson, Member
State Capitol, Room 6012 - Sacramento, CA. 95814
Phone: (916) 319-2016
Fax: (916) 319-2116
Find your Assembly Member or State Senator

Governor Jerry Brown
c/o State Capitol, Suite 1173
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: (916) 445-2841

CLA, Libraries, Adult Learners and Volunteer Tutors Thank You for Your Help !

Santa Maria Library - Good Samaritan makes good on its name

Good Samaritan makes good on its name
Lompoc Record: January 15, 2011 by Brian Bullock

Mike Rylant knows what it’s like to be homeless.

Many years ago his job in the Central Coast oil fields dried up like a tapped out well and he found himself on the streets.

The experience is something he never forgets as he manages the Good Samaritan Shelter in Santa Maria and gets his hands dirty at every facility the shelter runs.

“I tell the guys all the time, ‘Don’t forget where you came from,’” said Rylant, known by many shelter residents as “Uncle Mike.”

The Santa Maria shelter, located at 401 W. Morrison Ave., was established in 1987 under the guidance of the North County Project Group and serves as an umbrella organization for a variety of homeless services in north Santa Barbara County. It receives funding from a number of sources, including city money from the federal Community Development Block Grant program.

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Tara Corral and her two children were living in Santa Barbara with her stepfather when he decided to move to Texas, leaving her homeless with an 11-year-old son and a 9-year-old daughter.

The circumstances left the soft-spoken Corral among many transitionally homeless families who live in motels, share homes or apartments with other families, or live at the Good Samaritan Shelter — she has been there for nearly a year. Neat and well-kept, Corral looks more like a soccer mom than one fighting to keep a roof over her kids’ heads.

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While the kids are at school, Corral attends the literacy program at Santa Maria Public Library to not only improve her job possibilities, but help her children with their homework. Right now, she relies on the shelter for both lodging and tutoring services.

“I have a lot of help here,” she said. “Kris and everybody else here is my family now.”

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Daily occupancy numbers at the Good Samaritan emergency shelter reflect the spending cycle. Goldsmith said that when the weather is good, there are fewer people using the emergency shelter at the beginning of the month, when SSI money is issued, than at the end of the month when the cash has run out.

There are a lot of reasons people become homeless, Goldsmith said, but the lack of jobs, high cost of living and inability to establish credit conspire to keep many people in shelters.

“They’re trying to get out, but the economy doesn’t let them,” she said. READ MORE !

Glendora Library - Brown's Plan Puts Adult Literacy Program in Jeopardy

Brown's Plan Puts Adult Literacy Program in Jeopardy: State money funds much of the free literacy program at the Glendora Public Library.
Glendora Patch: January 11, 2011 by Hazel Lodevico-To'o

They come to the Glendora Public Library to learn how to read. But for the 40 adults enrolled in the library’s Adult Literacy Program, the free program that has helped them learn basic reading skills could soon be on the chopping block.

Governor Jerry Brown unveiled a drastic plan yesterday that proposes to cut state spending by $12.5 billion to close a $25 billion shortfall. Among the items curtailed was $30.4 million in local library funding.

For the Glendora Public Library, 140 S. Glendora Ave., that means up to $70,000 of state funding that will be reduced or eliminated following implementation of Gov. Brown’s proposed plan. Much of that funding goes to the library’s Adult Literacy Program, which has offered free literacy training for adults for nearly 20 years.

“This is going to be a blow for us,” said Library Director Robin Weed-Brown. She said the reduced state funding puts even more strain on the library’s budget, adding that the library has already reduced employee hours and has cut 64 percent of its book budget over the last fiscal year. With the loss of state funding, the library may see further cuts to part-time staff.

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Should the library eliminate the Literacy Program, it would be an unfortunate loss for the students and their families, said assistant director Anne Pankow.

“This would greatly impact their lives,” said Pankow. “Many of them are married, and they have children. We take for granted the ability to read, but it’s so crucial in our everyday lives.”

One part-time coordinator supervises and trains a group of volunteer tutors. Students enrolled in the program call and make individual appointments with their tutor.

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For more information on the Adult Literacy Program, call 626-852-4897. READ MORE !

CA Budget: Library Funding

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

CLA Blog-News From the Capitol: January 13, 2011 by Mike Dillon & Christina DiCaro, CLA Lobbyists

Q: Why the complete elimination of PLF, TRB and Literacy Funding ?

A: "It was painful for us; we had to look at state funding directly... the state should not be funding programs that can be funded locally." (Governor's Department of Finance Representative).

A similar, blunt comment from a key Assembly Republican consultant: "We can't advocate against tax increases and then hold out to save programs that should be funded locally."

The collective impact on all libraries in a Senate district is much greater than cuts to your local library budget.The collective impact on all libraries in a Senate district is much greater than cuts to your local library budget. The amount totals $30.4 million.
$12.9 million cut to the PLF
$12.9 million cut to the TBR
$4.6 million cut to the literacy program

HOW YOU CAN HELP NOW
Hearings on the elimination of PLF, TRB & Literacy funding will begin in the coming weeks. The committees to contact:
Senate Budget Subcommittee Number 1 on Education
Assembly Budget Subcommittee Number 2 on Education Finance

Please begin writing Legislative Leadership and members of the Committees ASAP ! Please explain what the cuts for these programs means for your local library and literacy program.
~ numbers of people that won't be served
~ hours of service lost
~ books and materials that won't be purchased
~ From illiterate to role model: Once, John Zickefoose couldn't read to his children or order from a menu. Today, he's a school board member and Corona library advocate. (LA Times)
~ Can You Read This? Thank Your Lucky Stars (SB Independent

The Honorable John Perez
Speaker of the Assembly
State Capitol Room 219
Sacramento, CA 95814

The Honorable Connie Conway
Assembly Republican Leader
State Capitol Room 3104
Sacramento, CA 95814

The Honorable Bob Blumenfield, Chair
Assembly Budget Committee
State Capitol Room 6026
Sacramento, CA 95814

The Honorable Susan Bonilla, Chair
Assembly Budget Subcommittee Number 2
State Capitol Room 2188
Sacramento, CA 95814

The Honorable Bill Berryhill
Assembly Budget Subcommittee Number 2
State Capitol Room 3141
Sacramento, CA 95814

The Honorable Julia Brownley
Assembly Budget Subcommittee Number 2
State Capitol Room 2163
Sacramento, CA 95814

The Honorable Brian Nestande
Assembly Budget Subcommittee Number 2
State Capitol Room 4139
Sacramento, CA 95814

The Honorable Sandre Swanson
Assembly Budget Subcommittee Number 2
State Capitol Room 6012
Sacramento, CA 95814

The Honorable Darrell Steinberg
Senate President pro Tem
State Capitol Room 205
Sacramento, CA 95814

The Honorable Bob Dutton
Senate Republican Leader
State Capitol Room 305
Sacramento, CA 95814

The Honorable Mark Leno, Chair
Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee
State Capitol Room 5100
Sacramento, CA 95814

The Honorable Bob Huff, Vice Chair
Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee
State Capitol Room 5097
Sacramento, CA 95814

The Honorable Carol Liu, Chair
Senate Budget Subcommittee Number 1
State Capitol Room 5061
Sacramento, CA 95814

CLA, Libraries, Adult Learners and Volunteer Tutors Thank You for Your Help !

Santa Barbara Library - Can You Read This? Thank Your Lucky Stars

Can You Read This?
Thank Your Lucky Stars
Santa Barbara Independent:
January 13, 2010 by Barney Brantingham

GETTING LITERATE AT THE LIBRARY: You’re reading these words just fine? Breezing right through the good old Indy? Well, for nearly a fifth of Santa Barbara County adults, it might be a struggle. Or just about impossible.

Some speak English but lack basic literacy skills. Some have dyslexia, which scrambles letters in a maddening, frustrating way. “I had one heck of a hard time in school,” Jane (not her real name) told me.

“I couldn’t read a street sign,” she said. “In school, I was put in special education. They just stuck you in a room and treated you as retarded. They [L.A. schools] graduated me, but I didn’t learn anything. I couldn’t read the directions on a box for cooking. My mother and a lot of people put me down. I had never read a book through until I was 50 years old.”

Now, thanks to the Santa Barbara Public Library’s Literacy Program, Jane, who “hated” computers, now works on one, attends community college in another state, and was just hired for a $25-per-hour job requiring reading. “I don’t read fast, but I read, and that’s a big deal for me.”

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About 200 people are working hard to learn or improve their English through the library’s Adult Literacy Program, thanks to a dedicated corps of unpaid tutors. One is Mary Lou LaBarge, a retired nurse who, for the past six years, has worked with a highly motivated man named Juan, who reads and writes well in Spanish and does math in his head, but struggles with English.

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The library’s literacy program is funded by the state and this year by about $15,000 in private donations and grants, according to Beverly Schwartzberg, library adult coordinator.

Flash: I just learned that in his proposed new budget, Governor Jerry Brown terminates all statewide library literacy funding, including Santa Barbara’s program.

Schwartzberg left me with the sobering fact that about 14 percent of Americans “can’t read a newspaper or fill out a job application” and another 29 percent are at “basic level.” READ MORE !

CA: Library Funding Decimated

GOVERNOR RELEASES 2011-12 BUDGET - LIBRARY FUNDING DECIMATED
Proposal Would Eliminate All State Funding for PLF, TBR and Literacy
CLA Blog: January 10, 2011 by Mike Dillon and Christina DiCaro, CLA Lobbyists

This morning newly elected Governor, Jerry Brown, released his 2011-12 Budget proposal, calling it "painful" and one that "requires sacrifice from every sector of the state, but we have no choice." The plan recommends a whopping $12.5 billion in cuts and $12 billion in revenue options in order to address the staggering $25 billion Budget, as well as a "vast and historic restructuring of services," as part of the Governor's realignment proposal. Of the cuts revealed- by Governor Brown today is a proposal to completely eliminate all state funding for the Public Library Foundation, Transaction Based Reimbursement and the California Library Literacy and English Acquisition Service. This amount totals $30.4 million.
$12.9 million cut to the PLF
$12.9 million cut to the TBR
$4.6 million cut to the literacy program

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The Governor expects the legislature to act on these proposed cuts - including the library related cuts - in the next few months.

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As best we understand the Governor's plan, the $30 million cut to the library programs would not be backfilled with the Governor's ballot revenue proposal. Instead, those revenues would be used to prevent additional cuts to K-12 education funding and other programs, and to begin the phase-in of the Governor's realignment proposal. The first phase of realignment focuses on public safety services, the second phase focuses on the implementation of the federal health care initiative, and under the Governor's plan, redevelopment agencies and enterprise zones would also be eliminated.

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In the meantime, please take a moment to contact your Assemblymember and Senator and express your concerns over these devastating cuts to the Public Library Foundation, Transaction Based Reimbursement and Literacy programs. Urge them to reject these cuts when the issue is before them in the coming weeks. READ MORE !

Find your Assembly Member or State Senator

Governor Jerry Brown
c/o State Capitol, Suite 1173
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: (916) 445-2841

Corona Library :: From illiterate to role model :: John Zickefoose

From illiterate to role model
Once, John Zickefoose couldn't read to his children or order from a menu. Today, he's a school board member and Corona library advocate.
LA Times: January 5, 2011 by Carla Rivera

The metamorphosis is as quick as the turn of a page: John Zickefoose is a hyperactive goose, a laid-back bear, a monkey, a tiger. The children at the Corona Public Library squeal with laughter as the man whose name rhymes with Seuss becomes louder and more animated.

There was a time when reading the simple words of a picture book would have proved impossible for Zickefoose. He spent years in school overwhelmed with sadness that nothing came as easily to him as it did for others. He would become rowdy, preferring to be kicked out of class than to be called on by the teacher.

Zickefoose was functionally illiterate, unable to read a prescription label, his children's report cards or a menu. He was diagnosed as a young boy with dyslexia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and didn't learn to read and write until he was 35.

That's when everything changed. He became a poster boy for the Corona library's adult reading program, began to speak publicly about his own struggles and was named the library's literacy director. He founded a nonprofit youth organization.

And on Dec. 7, Zickefoose, 52, was sworn in as a member of the Corona-Norco Unified School District Board of Education.

For the boy who couldn't understand the words on his high school diploma, the journey to the school board was the culmination of a vow to do something meaningful in life and help prevent others from starting out as he did.

"I'll be able to bring, quite frankly, an unusual perspective of what it feels like to be in the classroom and be a failure," Zickefoose said. "I don't want any child to go through what I went through."

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An estimated 30 million American adults can't read a newspaper or fill out a job application. Many have learning disabilities. Others are dropouts, victims of failing school systems. Some are immigrants with deficient English language skills who may also be illiterate in their native tongues.

But Zickefoose is also an anomaly. Only about 5% of adults who need services receive them, mainly because there is still so much shame attached to the condition, said David C. Harvey, president and chief executive of ProLiteracy, an international advocacy group. Zickefoose serves on the board of directors.

"John is a national role model because one of the most effective ways to break down that stigma is to have people who have had this problem talk about it," Harvey said. "He's a shining example of what can happen when someone gets services and puts those new skills to work."

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Now outreach coordinator at the library, Zickefoose appears to be straight-arrow, business-minded, even professorial. But his tie, with an imprint of the Looney Tunes' Tasmanian Devil, hints at a whimsical nature.

He formed UNITY (United Neighbors Involving Today's Youth) in 1996, and it has evolved into a coalition of 80 public and private agencies that have secured more than $17 million for the Corona-Norco school district. A generation of students know him as Mr. Z from his appearances at school assemblies where he preaches perseverance, using his own life as an example.

As a school board member, Zickefoose wants to prepare students earlier for college and a career and to pursue more outside funds for such school programs as arts and music. READ MORE !

Literacy Tribune: January 2011

Literacy Tribune: January 2011
The Adult Learner Network Newsletter

United Literacy, a non-profit organization, provides resources and support to adult literacy learners in the United States. Its aim is to make literacy education accessible and worthwhile for adult learners.

Main Story:
Which Came First: Reading or Writing? by Bud Pues
What does the word “read” really mean?

A History Lesson: Franklin D. Roosevelt by Alison Werner
Franklin Delano Roosevelt, often known simply as FDR, was born in Hyde Park, New York, on January 30, 1882, to a wealthy family.

Member Spotlight: Taking That First Step: Milton Whitley
Admitting you need help with anything is hard. Asking for help can be even harder. But making the decision to ask for help can change one’s life, as many adult learners have discovered.

Technology Watch: Dropbox by Daniel Pedroza
Ever wonder what would happen if your computer was stolen or damaged? How would you recover your files? Dropbox is a great option for protecting your computer files.

The Literacy Tribune is looking for adult learner writers.
Are you an adult learner ?
Do you want to write ?
Do you want to publish your writing ?

You can write about:
Your road to literacy
Your literacy organization
Literacy resources you like
You can write book reviews, poetry, short stories
You can write articles about health, finance, or technology

You can write just about anything !