Redlands Adult Literacy
Program celebrates 2016 achievements at A.K. Smiley Public Library
Redlands Daily Facts: 12.31.2016 by Diane Shimota, Adult
Literacy Coordinator-A.K. Smiley Library
The
beginning of 2017 gives the Redlands Adult Literacy Program the
opportunity to celebrate its 2016 achievements and highlight plans for the new
year.
The
mission of the Redlands Adult Literacy Program is to help adults who want to
improve their reading and writing skills. This mission is achieved through the
hard work of adult learners, their dedicated tutors and community support and
partnerships.
Throughout
2016, learners expressed their gratitude for the adult literacy program. Their
gratitude is reflected in the following:
Salma
Marquez is grateful that she can now help her children with homework and
communicate with their teachers. Marquez’s long-term goal is to obtain a
nursing degree.
Veronica
Leon celebrates using her new reading and writing skills to correctly fill out
forms for her job.
Derek
Rodriquez said that the adult literacy program helps him motivate his daughter
to do well in school because she sees him working hard at his lessons every
day.
The
Redlands Adult Literacy Program served nearly 100 adult learners in 2016. Every
learner has a unique story about how the literacy program helped them, but all
learners showed increased confidence as a result of their improved literacy.
The
Redlands Adult Literacy Program relies on its dedicated volunteer tutors. Each
adult learner is matched to an individual tutor volunteer, who meets weekly
with the learner. -Tutors know the importance of adult literacy.
Tutor
Vicki Shaw said, “If you can read, you can learn to do almost anything.” This
sentiment was echoed by tutor Mary Bailey, who said, “Adult literacy impacts
every area of life. It opens windows of opportunity for jobs, becoming a
citizen, helping others in the home, schools and community. Adult learners have
a new future with improved literacy skills.”
In
2016, the Redlands Adult Literacy Program responded to requests from adult
learners by adding new learning opportunities — book clubs, a weekly literacy
class at the library and new computer classes.
Book
clubs for adult learners were formed using local donations and a matching grant
from Modern Woodmen. Book club members read biographies of Harriet Tubman and
Helen Keller and an autobiography, “The Circuit” by Francisco Jimenez.
