Newport Beach Library - Literacy Services Celebrates with Holiday Potluck and Annual Meeting

Literacy Services Celebrates
with Holiday Potluck and Annual Meeting
Literally Speaking-NBPL Literacy Services: Winter 2008

Saturday, December 6th, was a day of celebration for many tutors, learners, and volunteers along with their friends and families. It was a full morning that began with a “Getting to Know You” mixer and an efficiently conducted annual meeting where bylaws were amended and five new board members were voted in. (Welcome to Kristi Chezum-Dougherty, Nancy Englebrecht, Tara Netherton, Amy Tan, and Nancy Thompson.)

Cherall Weiss, Literacy Coordinator for the program, spoke inspirationally about the many accomplishments of our learners, such as voting for the first time, improving their current employment, and reading aloud to their children or grandchildren. All this would not be possible without the generosity of all the tutors and volunteers who give so freely of their energy and time, more than 7000 hours in the 2007/8 fiscal year.

Jim Tracy, an Advisory Board member for 6 years, was named 2008 Volunteer of the Year. Among other things, Jim has used his time and talents to ensure regulatory compliance for the program as well as fiscal responsibility. He and the other outgoing board members will be missed. As usual, the food at the potluck was tremendous - many thanks to all who contributed.

Hemet Library - DOING LITERATURE

DOING LITERATURE
Press-Enterprise: December 3, 2008 by Diane A Rhodes

For more than five years, the monthly Doing Literature program at the Hemet Public Library has attracted a steady stream of readers to its informal discussion series.

A few years ago, Raymond Rodgers was offered the group's hosting duties by the exiting Dr. Paul Obler.

"I accepted because it is so very important that we do what we can to preserve and promote literature in a world of waning interest in reading," said Rodgers, 78. "I have been reading since I was 4, and it is a major aspect of whatever it is that is me."

On Dec. 13, Rodgers, a part-time English and literature instructor at Mt. San Jacinto College, will offer "Hard Times" by Charles Dickens as the topic of discussion.

Although reading the book is not a requirement of participation, Rodgers said most attendees are avid readers who enjoy the selections.


There is no charge to attend the meetings, which are held on the second Saturday of each month from September through June. Meetings are from 10:30a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the downstairs conference room of the library at 300 E. Latham Ave., Hemet.

"The library provides the space and administrative support and the program is conducted by unpaid volunteers under the library's literacy program," Rodgers said.

The library tries to provide extra copies of the books for participants to check out. Information: 951-765-2440. READ MORE

Economic Stimulus Package Must Provide Funds for Adult Literacy and Basic Education !

Economic Stimulus Package Must Provide Funds for Adult Literacy and Basic Education !
ProLiteracy - Action Alert: Dec 2008

Adult learners, especially those at the lowest literacy level, often struggle to make ends meet when the economy is strong. They are especially hard hit during times of economic recession.

Adult learners must have the necessary reading, writing, math, computer, and English-language skills to get jobs and keep them. Any economic stimulus bill that Congress considers must include money for programs that help adults gain these skills.

Tell your representatives and your Senators that there must be economic stimulus money for adult literacy and basic education programs !

Send an E-mail - Write a Letter - Call Your Representative Today !- sample letter from ProLiteracy - Check Out the 100 Day Plan @

I encourage you to target a minimum of $50 million to adult literacy and basic education programs as part of any economic stimulus package brought to Congress for action.

An estimated 30 million adults in the U.S. can barely read and write. There is a higher rate of unemployment in this group than in the general population. Many work in low-skill and low-paying jobs. Of the one million jobs lost this year, many were these low-skill jobs. For many of the unemployed, training for higher-skill jobs will require learning the fundamentals of reading, of writing, and of speaking English.

Local adult literacy and basic education programs are committed to preparing these adults for work. Many community-based programs offer workplace literacy services and partner with community groups to get people working. But thousands of adults are already on waiting lists for tutors and teachers, and demand is likely to grow as jobs become scarcer.

$50 million in funding for these programs is just a modest increase. It would support just 62,500 new learners at an estimated $800 per student for a year of literacy instruction. Failure to provide even this minimum level of extra funding will cost local, state, and federal governments more in unemployment and public assistance benefits, health care costs, and increased crime rates.

I applaud any action that helps individuals get back to work, but action that does not include funding to help adults gain the skills they need to access new jobs is woefully incomplete.

Sincerely,

Find Your Representatives @ American Library Association

~ members of Congress, governors, state legislators, and more ~