Santa Barbara Library - Montecito Literacy Program Volunteers

Montecito Literacy Program VolunteersMontecito Journal: August 30, 2007
Our Town By Joanne A. Calitri

As a core educational foundation, reading is an assumed skill, but there are some adults who’ve never mastered the skill. Help has been available for over 20 years in the form of the Adult Literacy Program run by the Santa Barbara County Library. Literacy Program Volunteers have been helping countless people from every developmental level and age range, to learn to read, and read well. The program is currently headed by Beverly Schwartzberg, the Adult Literacy Coordinator.

Bev and five of her fourteen Montecito literacy volunteers met with us recently to discuss the program. Those volunteers were 13-year veteran Joy Winer, 6-year volunteer Nancy Simon, 2-year volunteer Kristy McLoughlin and newbies Ethel Scar and Bonnie R. Corman, PhD. Unable to make the meeting were Jolene DeLisa, Elaine Heavner, Sherry Melchiorre, Gail Harling. The other five volunteers wished to remain anonymous.

Anyone wishing to become a tutor must first enroll in a nine-hour training course and make a six-month commitment to be a tutor in the program. The literacy program is free for students, and each student receives one-on-one tutoring. This aspect of the program was unanimously lauded as the key ingredient for the success of the tutoring, and the key factor that appealed to our Montecito literacy volunteers.

“One-on-one tutoring is personal… it creates a friendship…” said Joy, who had worked for many years in a corporate environment. She stated that the one-on-one focus is important, as for most students, learning in a classroom full of students is difficult.

Ethel is a first generation American. Her parents had to learn English and her grandparents never did, which made communication difficult. Being a literacy volunteer allows her to teach others how to read.

Kristy had been a school psychologist in the Santa Barbara school district for 20 years. Her focus as a tutor is to help parents, so they in turn can help their children with homework and other school related areas. For Beverly, this was the first volunteer job she had taken right out of college, as she could not imagine life without reading.

If you would like to become a tutor, the next tutor training course is Wednesday and Thursday, August 29 and 30, at the Central Library, 40 E. Anapamu St., Santa Barbara, CA.

"Stand Up and Spell!", the program’s second annual Scrabble Challenge, will be held Friday September 28, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Faulkner Gallery, Santa Barbara Public Library, 40 E. Anapamu St., Santa Barbara.

For more information, contact Beverly Schwartzberg - Phone: (805) 564-5619 or: bschwartzberg@santabarbaraca.gov

San Bernardino Co Library - Volunteer of the month makes a difference

Volunteer of the month makes a difference
Dailybulletin.com: Aug 23, 2007

Janet Wirtz was named Chino Hills volunteer of the month for August.

Question: Why did you start volunteering in Chino Hills?
Answer: I have been volunteering whereever I've lived since I was about 21 years old. So it wasn't if I was going to volunteer, but what I was going to do. I believe in making other peoples' lives easier. One of the ways I can do this is by volunteering.

Q: What programs have you volunteered with? What kind of work do you do with those programs?
A: Helped coordinate events at a museum in St. Paul, Minn.; ushered at a theater in Phoenix; Helped out with the Boy Scouts by picking up their awards and badges; delivered bread to Hillview Acres through St. Vincent de Paul; worked at a food pantry and helped fill food boxes for needy families during Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons; taught a religion class; ushered and typed up usher schedule for a local church; taught a student English, through the Library Literacy Program; mentored an inmate at California Institution for Women through Match 2; delivered meals to inbound residents through Caring for the Hills; helped out at my son's schools; scrapbooked for the Inland Hills Church "Prayer Quilt Program"; and processed utility bills for the city of Chino Hills.

Q: You mentored an inmate at California Institution for Women. What was that experience like?
A: It was very educational. I hope I was able to make a difference in someone else's life.

Q: What were you honored for at the Chino Hills City Council meeting?
A: I was selected as the city's Highlighted Volunteer for August 2007. Since March 2007, I have been assisting in the finance department, opening water bills every Monday and Tuesday.

Q: What has been your most memorable experience as a volunteer?
A: The latest is being honored by the city for my time. But all of my experiences are great because I enjoy meeting the nicest people and feeling more connected to my community.

Q: What kind of work did you do before you became a volunteer?
A: My last paying job, for 10 years, was as an Intelligence Research Specialist for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, in Washington, D.C., and Phoenix.

Newport Beach Library - Library to celebrate International Literacy Day

Library to celebrate International Literacy DayDaily Pilot: Aug 27, 2007: by Joseph Serna

Newport Beach Public Library Literacy Services will be celebrating International Literacy Day on Thursday, Sept. 6.

The day’s program will focus on the importance of literacy outreach in the community and will recognize the contributions of the many volunteers and tutors that work in the local literacy program, as well as the learners who work hard to acquire new skills.

This year’s theme, “Unlock the Potential,” is fitting because the program will honor Rochelle Hoffman award recipient Donnie Madril, a truck driver who needed help with spelling and reading in order to complete the forms and reports necessary for work.

Two local finalists in the California Library Literacy Services “Writer to Writer” challenge will also be recognized.

The program will be from 10 a.m. to noon in the Friends Meeting Room at the Central Library, 1000 Avocado Ave. in Newport Beach.