Monrovia Library - Library's Literacy Program Seeking Help

Library's Literacy Program Seeking Help
The library's new literacy coordinator is looking for tutors.
Monrovia Patch: January 8, 2011 by Alison Roeske

In a world where the ability to read or write can have a huge impact on an individual’s success, a literacy tutor can be "like a travel agent for the learner," said Kathy Knudsen, the new Literacy Coordinator for the Monrovia Public Library.

The library’s literacy program provides support for those who need to improve their literacy skills. Learners get one-on-one sessions with volunteer tutors from throughout the community and have access to a variety of learning materials.

Both Knudsen and Melanie Goodyear, who also coordinates volunteer opportunities at the library, say that more literacy tutors are urgently needed in 2011. There are about 75 volunteer tutors in the program, but there is also a list of 15 to 20 learners who are still waiting for tutors.

Tutoring requires a six-month commitment of about two hours per week, including preparation time.

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Anyone interested in learning more about the literacy program should contact Kathy Knudsen, Literacy Coordinator or call 626-256-8272. READ MORE !

Orange Co Library - Tutor Profile: Frizti Goldberg

Tutor Profile: Frizti Goldberg
READ/OC Newsletter: Jan 2011

After watching the 1989 film, Stanley and Iris, starring Robert DeNiro and Jane Fonda, about a volunteer literacy tutor helping a man learn to read better and change his life, Fritzi Goldberg decided that helping another adult to read better was something she had to do.

Even though work and personal commitments dominated Fritzi’s time, she did not let go of her desire to help another adult change their life by learning to read and write better. Years later in 2005, she joined the READ/OC team as a volunteer tutor. Soon after, she enhanced her skills and completed training for the Wilson Reading System® to use in her tutoring sessions with her learner. Her commitment to literacy and READ/OC continued to increase and Fritzi enrolled in the assessor training and then trainers’ training. She has been a member of READ/OC’s training team since 2008, and is now the lead trainer for READ/OC.

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If you are inspired by Fritzi’s story, and want to help another adult change their life while changing your own, call READ/OC at 714-566-3070. And remember to share your READ/OC story with a friend who might want to do the same! READ MORE !

Save California Library & Literacy Funding

SAVE PUBLIC LIBRARY FUNDING !
Letters, Phone Calls, Faxes, Emails

California Spends 1/20 of 1%
of the General Fund on Libraries




If the General Fund = $ 1.00



1% is 1 Penny



1/20 of a Penny !

California State Budget
2000: $76.7 Million in support of our California Libraries
2010: $30.4 Million in support of our California Libraries
2011: ZERO Dollars in support of our California Libraries !

Hearings Schedule: Write - Call - Fax - email
Federal Funding is also in Jeopardy
Feb 1 – 1:30pm: Senate Budget Subcom – Rm 3191, State Capitol
Feb 7 – 9:00am: Assembly Budget Subcom – Rm 444, State Capitol

Senate Budget Subcommittee Number 1 on Education Finance

The Honorable Carol Liu, Chair
State Capitol, Room 5061 - Sacramento, CA. 95814
Phone: (916) 651-4021
Fax: (916) 324-7543

The Honorable Bob Huff, Member
State Capitol, Room 5097 - Sacramento, CA. 95814
Phone: (916) 651-4029
Fax: (916) 324-0922

The Honorable Roderick Wright, Member
State Capitol, Room 5064 - Sacramento, CA. 95814
Phone: (916) 651-4025
Fax: (916) 445-3712

Assembly Budget Subcommittee Number 2 on Education Finance

The Honorable Susan Bonilla, Chair
State Capitol, Room 2188 - Sacramento, CA. 95814
Phone: (916) 319-2011
Fax: (916) 319-2111

The Honorable Bill Berryhill, Member
State Capitol, Room 3141 - Sacramento, CA. 95814
Phone: (916) 319-2026
Fax: (916) 319-2126

The Honorable Julia Brownley , Member
State Capitol, Room 2163 - Sacramento, CA. 95814
Phone: (916) 319-2041
Fax: (916) 319-2141

The Honorable Brian Nestande, Member
State Capitol, Room 4139 - Sacramento, CA. 95814
Phone: (916) 319-2064
Fax: (916) 319-2164

The Honorable Sandre Swanson, Member
State Capitol, Room 6012 - Sacramento, CA. 95814
Phone: (916) 319-2016
Fax: (916) 319-2116

Find your Assembly Member or State Senator

Governor Jerry Brown
c/o State Capitol, Suite 1173
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: (916) 445-2841

Save California Public Library and Literacy Funding
Libraries, Adult Learners and Volunteer Tutors Thank You for Your Help !

Save California Public Library & Literacy Funding

SAVE PUBLIC LIBRARY LITERACY FUNDING !
Letters, Phone Calls, Faxes, Emails

California Library Literacy Services: 2009-2010
$4.558 million budget provided services to low-literacy adults and their families. Return on Investment: Every $1 of state funds leverages $4 in additional funds

Adult Literacy and Families for Literacy105 Public Libraries provided services for:
42,497 Adults
46,983 Children
30,043 Children’s books were distributed
12,098 Volunteers provided 826,002 hours of free tutoring
= $19.34M Using EDD's average California hourly wage figure for 2010 of $23.42

Mobile Library Literacy Services
@ low-income housing developments, migrant camps, daycare centers and health clinics.
14,579 parents and caregivers
32,776 at-risk children (ages 0 - 5)

English Language & Literacy Intensive (ELLI)
9,037 school children struggling to learn English were served
5,137 of their English language learning parents

Most of the local/private funds would not be made available without the state's money to leverage.

Job Outcomes for Adult Learners
59% were able to complete a job application
45% wrote a resume
42% interviewed for a job
28% actually secured a job or were promoted at work

Voting Outcomes for Adult Learners49% were able to vote for the first time
43% became volunteers in their community

Library-based literacy programs are their only hope.

Here's what one adult learner had to say . . . . . .
"I could read a little bit, but not that good, and I've been to almost every prison in California....I lived on the other side and now I'm here and it is nice. It's a big difference. After I get my GED, I plan to go to community college. I want to study accounting. My dream is to come back and help someone else like they helped me."

2011 SCLLN Literacy Conference

SCLLN Literacy Conference 2011: March 5

Buena Park Holiday Inn

8:00 am – 4:00 pm

Lunch
Writer To Writer Awards Ceremony

Early Bird Registration: Feb 15, 2011

- click here for Form –

$ 35.00: SCLLN Tutors and Staff
$ 10.00: Adult Learners
$ 50.00: Non-Members
Luncheon Ceremony Only: $ 35.00

After Feb. 15:
$ 50.00: SCLLN Tutors and Staff
$ 15.00: Adult Learners
$ 75.00: Non-Members
Luncheon Ceremony Only: $ 50.00

Win A Free Admission – see Q below

From the beginning of the establishment of library literacy programs by the California State Library in 1984, library programs in Southern California have been meeting to share resources and ideas, and address literacy issues. The Southern California Library Literacy Network (SCLLN) was formalized in 1985.

Some of the 21 Workshops
Health & Wellness the Easy Way
Stories in Our Lives – Family Stories
Writing from the Senses
Preserving Literacy in Hard Times
How to Publish Your eBook
Powerful Strategies Improve Student’s Writing
Becoming Effective Spokesperson, P 1&2
7 Keys to Decoding
Money 101
Wacky for WIKIS, Blogs
Resume Interview Skills
Using Wordless Picture Books

Adult Learner Workshops
Learning to Read in Adulthood
Writer To Writer Challenge
Creative Writing for Learners

What was the SCLLN Group Facebook post on Jan 21, 2011 about ?
Winner = The Correct Answer with the earliest email or postmark.

CLA: Save Public Library Funding

CLA NEEDS YOUR HELP - BUDGET CUTS
SAVE PUBLIC LIBRARY FUNDING !

Letters, Phone Calls, Faxes, Emails

BUDGET HEARING DATES SET
CLA Blog: January 21, 2011
by M Dillon & C DiCaro, CLA Lobbyists

The Governor wants a decision on a $12 Billion Cut by the first part of March.

Hearings for the Elimination of this $12 Billion include:
~ Public Library Foundation = $12.9 Million
~ California Library Services Act (TBR) = $12.9Million
~ Literacy program = $4.6Million

Feb 1 – 1:30pm: Senate Budget Subcom – Rm 3191, State Capitol
Feb 7 – 9:00am: Assembly Budget Subcom – Rm 444, State Capitol

IMPORTANT NOTE: If we are not successful in getting some of this money restored by the subcommittees, all may be lost.

The loss of the CSLA funding would not only mean an eventual loss in federal funds as well as state funds, but it would also lead to the total dismantling of the book and material sharing between libraries.

There may be as many as 67% of communities that would not have any access to a literacy program if the Governor's cuts were enacted. Adult education programs do not exist in these communities.

100% elimination of 3 important programs is unfair and unacceptable to the library patrons of California.

Put a personal face on these cuts.

Senate Budget Subcommittee Number 1 on Education Finance
The Honorable Carol Liu, Chair
State Capitol, Room 5061 - Sacramento, CA. 95814
Phone: (916) 651-4021
Fax: (916) 324-7543

The Honorable Bob Huff, Member
State Capitol, Room 5097 - Sacramento, CA. 95814
Phone: (916) 651-4029
Fax: (916) 324-0922
The Honorable Roderick Wright, Member
State Capitol, Room 5064 - Sacramento, CA. 95814
Phone: (916) 651-4025
Fax: (916) 445-3712

Assembly Budget Subcommittee Number 2 on Education Finance
The Honorable Susan Bonilla, Chair
State Capitol, Room 2188 - Sacramento, CA. 95814
Phone: (916) 319-2011
Fax: (916) 319-2111
The Honorable Bill Berryhill, Member
State Capitol, Room 3141 - Sacramento, CA. 95814
Phone: (916) 319-2026
Fax: (916) 319-2126
The Honorable Julia Brownley , Member
State Capitol, Room 2163 - Sacramento, CA. 95814
Phone: (916) 319-2041
Fax: (916) 2141
The Honorable Brian Nestande, Member
State Capitol, Room 4139 - Sacramento, CA. 95814
Phone: (916) 319-2064
Fax: (916) 319-2164
The Honorable Sandre Swanson, Member
State Capitol, Room 6012 - Sacramento, CA. 95814
Phone: (916) 319-2016
Fax: (916) 319-2116
Find your Assembly Member or State Senator

Governor Jerry Brown
c/o State Capitol, Suite 1173
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: (916) 445-2841

CLA, Libraries, Adult Learners and Volunteer Tutors Thank You for Your Help !

Santa Maria Library - Good Samaritan makes good on its name

Good Samaritan makes good on its name
Lompoc Record: January 15, 2011 by Brian Bullock

Mike Rylant knows what it’s like to be homeless.

Many years ago his job in the Central Coast oil fields dried up like a tapped out well and he found himself on the streets.

The experience is something he never forgets as he manages the Good Samaritan Shelter in Santa Maria and gets his hands dirty at every facility the shelter runs.

“I tell the guys all the time, ‘Don’t forget where you came from,’” said Rylant, known by many shelter residents as “Uncle Mike.”

The Santa Maria shelter, located at 401 W. Morrison Ave., was established in 1987 under the guidance of the North County Project Group and serves as an umbrella organization for a variety of homeless services in north Santa Barbara County. It receives funding from a number of sources, including city money from the federal Community Development Block Grant program.

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Tara Corral and her two children were living in Santa Barbara with her stepfather when he decided to move to Texas, leaving her homeless with an 11-year-old son and a 9-year-old daughter.

The circumstances left the soft-spoken Corral among many transitionally homeless families who live in motels, share homes or apartments with other families, or live at the Good Samaritan Shelter — she has been there for nearly a year. Neat and well-kept, Corral looks more like a soccer mom than one fighting to keep a roof over her kids’ heads.

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While the kids are at school, Corral attends the literacy program at Santa Maria Public Library to not only improve her job possibilities, but help her children with their homework. Right now, she relies on the shelter for both lodging and tutoring services.

“I have a lot of help here,” she said. “Kris and everybody else here is my family now.”

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Daily occupancy numbers at the Good Samaritan emergency shelter reflect the spending cycle. Goldsmith said that when the weather is good, there are fewer people using the emergency shelter at the beginning of the month, when SSI money is issued, than at the end of the month when the cash has run out.

There are a lot of reasons people become homeless, Goldsmith said, but the lack of jobs, high cost of living and inability to establish credit conspire to keep many people in shelters.

“They’re trying to get out, but the economy doesn’t let them,” she said. READ MORE !