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.

1 . 888 . SOS . READ - Statewide Public Awareness Campaign for Library Literacy Programs

Statewide Public Awareness Campaign for Library Literacy Programs: 1 . 888 . SOS . READ

During 2005 and 2006, the California State Library

conducted a statewide survey of library literacy program participants in order to determine the most effective ways of promoting our services.

One of the results of this research: Billboard ads and Bus Stop ads are now visible on California streets and highways. The Billboard Campaign was designed and placed by Clear Channel where they actually own billboards and bus they have committed to 28 billboards and 70 bus shelters. To date s with many more to be donated. This is a huge ad space donation -- hundreds of thousands of dollars in donated space to California Library Literacy Services

.

So keep an eye open for these billboards and bus stop ads in Southern California !


Photo: Bus ad - Victory & Olive, Burbank CA

San Bernardino County Library - Light the lamp of literacy

Light the lamp of literacy
Redlands Daily Facts: Jan 16, 2007 by C. L. Lopez

Cesar Lara, a literacy specialist at the Highland Branch Library, pairs up tutors with students in the adult literacy program. Cesar Lara makes literacy a reality one person at a time. Lara is one of 11 literacy specialists in the county. At the Highland Branch Library, Lara pairs up tutors with students in the adult literacy program.

"I just want to help people with their goals of reading, writing and learning English," Lara said. "Even though I do not do the teaching, I still feel like I am helping them."

The volunteer tutors then help their students learn to read and write.

The program currently has seven students and five tutors, but Lara is optimistic those numbers will go up when the library moves to its new location in the

Sam Racadio Learning Center in a few months.

"Hopefully the new library will encourage a lot more people to come in," he said.

Lara was a tutor at the library for a few months before he became a page and then a literacy specialist.

He also is a tutor with the Yuciapa-Calimesa Joint Unified School District.

Once in the new library, there are plans to add English language improvement classes.

The library's literacy lab will have five computers for the students and their tutors to use. Once paired up students and tutors make their own schedules to meet in the library. Tutors must be at least 18 years old. Most of the tutors are former teachers.

"You just have to have the motivation to help somebody," Lara said.

Susan Ponce, a former elementary school teacher's assistant, has tutored at the library for four months.

"It is very rewarding," Ponce said. "The reward for me is when you see a light in someone's eyes because something is understood."

Three nights a week, Ponce meets with her student, Martha Villar.

"We started out with English comprehension and word knowledge," Ponce recalled. "There has been a change for the better with her vocabulary."

Ponce says Villar "wants to better herself so that she might acquire a better job or career than what she is doing at the present time."

"I want to advance myself," said Villar, an elementary school recreational aide. "I will keep going to tutoring until I am confident in myself."

Villar admits she struggled in college because of her English skills. Now, she says she wants to be able to help elementary school students.

"The work they have now is a lot harder than when I was in school," she said.

Villar encourages other adults to go to the library for tutoring.

"Don't be embarrassed to go to the library for help," she said. "It is better to learn than not know."

Los Angeles Public Library - Book Donations Needed to Help City's Libraries

Book Donations Needed to Help City's Libraries
Councilman Joins Authors and City Staff Members to Support Literacy Programs
Park Labrea News - Beverly Press: December 28, 2006 by Kristen Orsborn

Los Angeles City Councilman Tom LaBonge, 4th District, met with Los Angeles city librarian Fontayne Holmes at a local bookstore at The Grove last Friday to encourage holiday shoppers to give the gift of books this season.

"Celebrate the season with a book," LaBonge said in the lobby of Barnes & Noble at The Grove. "A gift of a book on the City of Los Angeles is a great start."

Citing a study by the Los Angeles Workforce Literacy Project, LaBonge and Holmes urged shoppers to pick up books for all the people on their list.

"I can't picture any household where someone didn't receive a book as a gift," Holmes said. "We all have such different interests. Even if there isn't a toy or an electronic device that can satisfy a hobby or interest, there is a book. I think a book is a tremendous gift."

The "Literacy at Work" study shows that 3.8 million Los Angeles County residents suffer from low literacy skills.

"This isn't saying that they can't read at all," Holmes said. "But this is a big problem."

The study uses fourth-grade reading level as the benchmark for low literacy levels. According to the study, 53% of Los Angeles County residents fall below this line.

Even though most people have already doled out their holiday gifts, Holmes stressed the importance of working year-round to combat illiteracy. The Los Angeles Public Library offers tutoring in reading skills at 15 literacy centers in libraries throughout the city, including the Cahuenga Branch.

"This holiday season, the best and most rewarding gift is the gift of literacy," Holmes said. "With a commitment of just three hours a week as a volunteer tutor, you can change the lives of courageous adults who are ready to overcome their illiteracy."

The Adult Literacy Program pairs volunteer tutors with adult students who want to improve basic literacy skills. Tutors and students meet for about an hour twice a week for a minimum of six months. Students must be at 18, or 16 and out of school. They must know and speak English, and be able to commit to the program for six months.

"This is a fantastic program," Holmes said. "It is story after story of how lives are changed by reading. It breaks all of the stereotypes that some people may have about illiteracy. These people working on their literacy skills are people with a serious handicap."

Holmes, who counts Charles Dickens and William Shakespeare among her favorite writers, believes that even in today's computer-centric society, reading is still an important activity.

"I don't want it to sound like clichés, but readings is like the greatest joy and passion," she said. "I think it opens up so many doors and windows to the world. If you are a curious person, then reading widely is so important."

Currently, the Los Angeles Public Library is experiencing a shortage of tutors to pair for the adult literacy program. If you are interested in learning more about the program, visit www.lapl.org/literacy or call (213)228-7037. Volunteers receive seven hours of instruction and must commit to six months of tutoring.

Hemet Library - THE GIFT OF READING

THE GIFT OF READING
Press-Enterprise: November 22, 2006 by Diane A. Rhodes

If you can read this, you should consider becoming a member of the Hemet Adult Literacy Advocates.

HALA is a group for anyone who is concerned with alleviating illiteracy in our community. It was formed about four years ago by a small group of tutors.

"Generally, advocates are any adults who see the importance of our literacy program and helps us support it," said Literacy Coordinator Lori Eastman who operates the adult-literacy services through Hemet Public Library.

Working from a small budget, the group seeks grants and donations for its programs that serve more than 100 students.

HALA members do not have to be tutors, although several of them are. They just need to care about wanting to help English-speaking adults who are struggling with reading skills. Eastman said one in six Americans is functionally illiterate.

And in Hemet, 17.7 percent of adults are performing "below basic level" said Jose Cruz, executive director of the Southern California Library Literacy Network.

"This means they cannot even read a TV guide to find out what is on," she explained. "There are a lot of people who need our services."

HALA held a meeting last week to give thanks for the many blessings the literacy program has received during the year, including $7,000 raised from September's Walk-A-Mile for Literacy event.

About 20 people attended to hear about the importance of learning lifetime skills of literacy. Each donating a nonperishable item to a food drive to benefit residents of three alcohol and drug recovery homes in the area that receive literacy services.

Lea Ashworth, the Families for Literacy coordinator, encourages learners to read to their children. The learner works with Ashworth and his or her tutor to become comfortable reading aloud. The goal is to make reading fun for the whole family and to break the cycle of illiteracy.

Focusing on basic reading, writing and math skills, tutors work with adult learners on whatever they need to improve their quality of life.

Ray Strait, president of the Hemet Library Board of Trustees and a tutor for about five years, is helping a student prepare for the written portion of his driver's license test.

Part of the intake process is to discuss goals and what brought them to the program, Eastman said. It might be filling out a job application or learning food-related words and terms to get a job at a restaurant.

Eastman said that 70 percent of learners who set a goal of being able to vote were successful in meeting their goal.

Melany Piotrowski was a special education teacher for years. She found that problems in the home often contributed to reading difficulties.

HALA members meet each month at the Literacy Services center at 315 E. Latham in Hemet and pay monthly dues of $1.
Information, 951-765-3856