Orange Co Library - Literacy and the Pursuit of Happiness

Literacy and the Pursuit of Happiness
OC Register: Jan 24, 2007 by Jenny Sokol

Antonio (Tone) Correa will be 98 next month and the man shows no sign of slowing down. Why should he? "I'm busy," the Orange resident explains. "It's what keeps me young."

Busy indeed. Correa drives himself to the senior center where he loves to dance. He's writing three books. In his spare time, Correa volunteers with READ Orange County, the adult literacy program of the Orange County Public Library.

Bob West, outreach volunteer coordinator for READ/OC, estimates that Correa has spent well over 2,000 hours teaching 40 adults to read and write in the past decade.

An estimated 350,000 to 450,000 people in Orange County, and one in every five adults nationwide, are considered functionally illiterate. READ/OC works to reduce those numbers with its confidential, no-cost tutoring program.

Programs offered include Families for Literacy, where parents learn alongside their preschool-age children; Working for Inmate Literacy Now, where prisoners in O.C. jails hone their literacy skills; and English Language and Civics Education, where nonnative English speakers cover subjects ranging from nutrition to employment skills.

As for Correa's students, a few are learning English as a second language. "I tutor a Korean student who wants help with pronunciation," Correa says. At one time, Correa worked with a 72-year-old man who couldn't read or write but was finally ready to learn.

Currently, Correa tutors four learners twice a week, for a total of 16 weekly volunteer hours. "I'm just interested in helping," says Correa.

"See, I'm retired," he explains. "I take it easy. I don't worry about a thing. But as long as there are people who need help, I'll help." READ MORE

Hemet Library - Two residents serve as recruiters and tutors.

Two residents serve as recruiters and tutors.
Press Enterprise: Jan 29, 2007 by Jamie Ayala

Illiteracy can cause some people to risk accidentally killing their loved ones, miss out on job opportunities or forgo time with children.

If reading prescription drug bottles, applications and bedtime stories can make a difference in someone's life, Dorothy Rojas, a homemaker, and Phyllis Perea, a retiree, are determined to help.

The two AmeriCorps members work in the Hemet Public Library's adult literacy program through the statewide Library Literacy Services AmeriCorps Initiative. The library is one of 32 in California selected for the program, through which Rojas and Perea provide their help for two years.

"I feel so blessed," said Lori Eastman, literacy coordinator of the library's program, which offers basic reading and writing lessons to English-speaking adults.

Photo: Phyllis Perea, left, and Dorothy Rojas show some of the materials they use to tutor adults through the statewide Library Literacy Services AmeriCorps Initiative

Orange Co Library - Literacy and the pursuit of happiness - Antonio (Tone) Correa will be 98

Literacy and the pursuit of happiness.
Orange County Register: Jan 24, 2007 by Jenny Sokol

Antonio (Tone) Correa will be 98 next month and the man shows no sign of slowing down. Why should he? "I'm busy," the Orange resident explains. "It's what keeps me young."

Busy indeed. Correa drives himself to the senior center where he loves to dance. He's writing three books. In his spare time, Correa volunteers with READ Orange County, the adult literacy program of the Orange County Public Library.

Bob West, outreach volunteer coordinator for READ/OC, estimates that Correa has spent well over 2,000 hours teaching 40 adults to read and write in the past decade. An estimated 350,000 to 450,000 people in Orange County, and one in every five adults nationwide, are considered functionally illiterate. READ/OC works to reduce those numbers with its confidential, no-cost tutoring program.