Redlands Library - Pair team up to quarterback Redlands Adult Literacy Program

Pair team up to quarterback Redlands Adult Literacy Program
Redlands Daily Facts: 12.28.2013 by Kristina Hernandez


With the need for literacy tutors growing in the city, two women have dedicated a countless number of hours to ensure those demands are met.


Trudy Waldron and Katherine Gifford head the Redlands Adult Literacy Program at the A.K. Smiley Public Library, which provides one-on-one tutoring in reading and writing to people age 18 and up.


The group meets weekly at the library and at two other sites with learners they are assigned to in the hopes of tackling any needs their students would like to address, such as writing a greeting card or reading and filling out an employment application.


“So many seeking literacy help as adults have economic problems, and 50 percent of our adult literacy students have school-aged children,” Gifford said.

More than 100 tutors volunteer for the program, but a few years ago that was not the case — plans were being made to dissolve the program due to money issues, Waldron said.

That is when the Friends of the A.K. Smiley Public Library and the duo jumped on board to save it in the hopes of building a bigger and better program.

And that’s just what they have done.  READ MORE !