Literacy Lines Newsletter

Transcription

1 March/April 2012 Literacy Lines Newsletter Major Events in 2012: Dates and times are subject to change. Please check our website for latest information March 28th 4:00pm Board Meeting April 7th 9:00-11:00am February Tutor Training Follow-up 25th 1:00pm Roundtable-Sharing Materials and Lesson Plans for Beginner Students 25th 4:00pm Annual Meeting and Board Meeting at LVCC Offices May 5th 9:00am, Shotgun The Neil Birch Memorial Golf Tournament Bill Geist left, with Kitty and Dan Sachs Elaine Mayrides and Sandra Barreto A Lovely Luncheon Thanks to the efforts of Board member Kitty Sachs, the Lunch and Laugh event at Bay Colony Golf Club was a great success. Speaker Bill Geist lived up to his reputation and his talk kept the assembled 155 LVCC supporters in stitches. Quail West Golf Club June 12th Orientation 19th 9:00-1:00pm Tutor training 21st 9:00-1:00pm Tutor Training 27th 11:00am Roundtable, Understanding our Students: Latin American Culture Winners of the musical chairs game A Perfect Picnic Visit us on the web at Literacy Volunteers of Collier County 8833 Tamiami Trail East, Naples, Fl More than 60 students, their families and tutors attended the annual picnic at Sugden Regional Park. An amazing array of culinary delicacies from around the world whetted everyone s appetites, including an amazing flan containing 45 eggs. 1

2 Literacy Lines Page 2 The Alphabet Project 2011 Letters Continue to Spell Out the Names of Literacy Supporters The 2011 Alphabet Project is drawing to a close. Originally begun by Board member, James Galton, four years ago, the Project has produced muchneeded dollars for LVCC. Advertisements continue to appear in the Naples Daily News recognizing the local businesses and organizations who have stepped up to the plate and donated a $1,000 to LVCC as part of this year s effort. LVCC has been delighted with and appreciative of the support received from the following: A Arthrex C Naples Performing Arts Center D Naples Daily News H- Health Management Associates I IberiaBank L - Literacy Volunteers of Collier County Board of Directors M Mon Bijoux P PGA Superstore R Realtor Karen Coney Coplin U Naples United Church of Christ If readers and friends of literacy know of other organizations interested in buying a letter in the LVCC Alphabet Project, please contact the office. A Doubled Grant For a number of years, LVCC has been the grateful recipient of a grant from The Federico Foundation. In February, following an application for another grant, LVCC received double its previous amounts. Thank you, Federico Foundation. There are many little ways to enlarge your child s world. Love of books is the best of all...jacqueline Kennedy Problem Solved by Veronica It is an eye-opener to discover the resources LVCC students are able to call upon when we need their help. Getting the chairs, tables and other equipment from our offices to Sugden Park for the picnic would have been a big problem. Luckily, student Veronica Godinez was able to borrow her husband s truck to transport most of the equipment to the site and then return it to Lely Plaza. Veronica s tutor is Doris Roberts. Many thanks, Veronica! Working on a Plan In a further effort to develop a program targeted at tutors, former tutors and other LVCC volunteers, Board member Amy Hoffman has agreed to create a Friends of Literacy group. Amy is currently working on a plan which will encourage more volunteers to step forward to help with fund-raisers, staff committees and generally support our efforts. Nominees for New 2012/2013 Board A new slate of officers will be presented to LVCC at its annual meeting on April 25th. Board members elected for a two year term are: Ms. Rita Bleasdale Mr. Robert Breitbard Mr. James Galton Ms. Trisha Hare Ms. Kathy Hughes Ms. Pam Hunter Ms. Jennifer Immel Mr. Mitch Melheim Mr. William Nichols Ms Judy Peterson Ms. Sandra Rasmussen Ms. Kitty Sachs Board members completing their terms, not requiring election: Ms. Amy Hoffman Mr. Dick Melick Ms. Janet Saltarelli Slate of Executive Board : President: Ms. Rita Bleasdale Vice President: Ms. Janet Saltarelli Secretary: Mr. Dick Melick Treasurer (interim): Mr. Mitch Melheim

3 Page 3 Some people will lie, cheat, steal and back-stab to get ahead... and to think, all they have to do is READ... -Fortune Warm Weather, Warm Friendships Warm. That s the word I would use to describe our annual student/tutor picnic at Sugden Community Park on a Saturday early in March. The weather, with a forecast of a 30% chance of rain, ultimately cooperated, and we had a warm, sunny day to enjoy the outdoors and the companionship of our fellow tutors, students and friends and family. It is always so much fun to hear greetings of Hola! Bonjour! Good to meet you! as we are introduced to the friends and family of our students and tutors. For many, this picnic is the only opportunity during the year to spend relaxed time with other students, volunteers and staff. It is often the only time the staff has the opportunity to relax and enjoy the company of students and tutors who work together at locations other than LVCC. Meeting our students children is always a special treat for me. I particularly enjoy watching them play musical chairs and the other games they play for prizes. This year, there was an Easter egg hunt and it warmed my heart to see the children as they scrambled to find eggs filled with candies or prizes. It is wonderful to know that LVCC contributes to the wellbeing of all of these lovely families. Thanks go to the many students and tutors who made their national dishes for our pot luck buffet. Special thanks also go to tutor Maxine Newman, who sponsored the gazebo rental. Our great staff, Sandra and Ingrid, go to great lengths to make sure everyone has a good time, and we know that they were successful. And finally, thank you to our wonderful students and tutors and families. We enjoyed seeing all of you! Elaine Reduce Taxes with an Outright Gift Charitable giving can play an important role in estate planning. Philanthropy not only can give you great personal satisfaction, it can also give you a current income tax deduction, let you avoid capital gains tax and, ultimately help reduce estate and inheritance taxes at your death. While there are many ways to make a gift to a qualified non-profit, such as LVCC, the easiest is to make an outright gift. Such a gift benefits the non- profit immediately and allows the organization complete discretion to use the money as it believes best. In turn, you are entitled to an immediate income tax deduction (subject to certain percentage limitations for any one year) based on the fair market value of the gift. Remember, in order to get the benefit of the deduction, you will be required to itemize deductions on your income tax return. Also, it is important to keep the cancelled check, bank record or written receipt from the non-profit for your tax records. Consult your accountant to see if making a charitable gift is right for you. Jennifer Immel, Board member Well Worth Attending Two upcoming tutor round tables will be well worth attending. The first is on Wednesday, April 25th beginning at 1:00pm when the subject will be sharing materials and lesson plans for beginner students. This workshop is being held in response to requests from tutors about receiving further guidance on lesson plans. Conducting the workshop will be veteran LVCC tutor trainer and tutor, Sandi Rasmussen. Tutors might like to take their current lesson plans to the event for discussion and comment. Program coordinator, Ingrid Fernandez will be in charge of the other round table on Wednesday, June 27th beginning at 11:00am. Her subject is entitled Understanding our Students: Latin American Culture. Both round tables will be held in our offices.to accommodate all the tutors interested in these two subjects, please make sure you call Ingrid for a reservation Amazing Space LVCC supporters were well represented at the official opening of Naples Center for the Performing Arts in March. Lori Vallieres, owner of the Center, and the professional dance instructor for LVCC s Dancing with the Stars for Literacy, invited former DWTS dancers, LVCC board members, and our Executive Director, Elaine Mayrides. During the evening, attended by over 150 people, performances were given by a variety of artistes including Jeff Hajko, a dance professional associated with the Center who also works with DWTS s amateur dancers. Good luck, Lori the space is amazing. 3

4 Literacy Lines Page 4 Recycling Talk A bi-lingual representative of Collier County Waste Management spent time at LVCC offices giving students the low-down on recycling and its benefits. As a result of his visit, the Lely Plaza, where LVCC offices are located, now has two new recycling bins for cardboard and paper and plastic next to the dumpster that serves the Plaza. New Board Member LVCC is pleased to welcome a new member to the Board, Kathleen K. Hughes, R.N. Kathy is chief executive officer and administrator of Accu-Care Nursing Service, Inc., Naples, which has been in business for 17 years. Donor Appreciation Donors to LVCC between January 23rd and March 20th are: Brown, Miriam Burns, Edna Carole Halander Community Fdn. (Ottenad Fund) Mahoney, James Meyer, Judith B. Network for Good Newman, Maxine (2) Nichols, W.L. (3) Patricia Zenda Dugan Rotondi, Jean Wharton, Charles and Pauline Whitridge, Anne A Welcoming and Farsighted Development From the day that LVCC opened its doors in Naples, the focus of the organization has been on teaching adults. There were occasions during the past 28 years when we devoted some volunteer hours to reading to children in various schools in the area. However, the difficulty of maintaining the reading programs became onerous and they were dropped from our curriculum. Now, through, a Moms and Tots pilot scheme initiated last year in collaboration with Parkside Elementary School our interest in adding family literacy to our programs is not only a welcome development but a farsighted one. Family literacy rounds out our welldeveloped and effective programs. It gives tutors who prefer working with youngsters another option while, at the same time, family literacy allows LVCC to seek funding from sources that do not support adult literacy. For example, Elaine is already working on a Verizon grant application which is directed at children and family literacy. We know, as well, there are opportunities for support in Collier County which have not been available to LVCC because our programs are for adults. There is a very clear need for family literacy and, with LVCC s unique tutor training, we are filling that niche. At Parkside, over 70 per cent of the children are from homes where English is not spoken. I believe a higher number than this exists at the Golden Gate Elementary School. Thanks to the efforts of Sandi Rasmussen and the tutors who have stepped forward to run the family literacy program at Parkside, we are providing a valuable and important service in Collier County. No doubt LVCC will have to change its mission statement to reflect our new, broader reach. Rita Read-A-Thon Participant Publishes New Book Former LVCC Read-a-Thon reader, Patrick O Connor has just returned to Naples from a whirlwind tour to promote his latest book, Scapegoat which investigates the Chino Hills Murders and the Framing of Kevin Cooper. Pat has another connection with LVCC developed during the Read-A- Thon last year. Then he met Board member and attorney Richard Melick who is quoted extensively in the latest book. Pat recently sent Dick a copy of the book. Richard helped me immensely, said Pat. Editor and publisher of Crime Magazine since its inception in 1998, Pat is also the author of The Framing of Mumia Abu-Jamall which was published in Pat read an extract from this book at the Read-A- Thon.

5 Page 5 I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book.... Groucho Marx Meet a Tutor Accomplishing a Long-Held Goal to Teach Doris Roberts, the eldest child in an extremely poor family, always wanted to be a teacher. She was bright and she earned a scholarship to college which only covered books and tuition, so she needed to work to make ends meet. During the 1950s there were not many jobs available for women and she was trying to live on a $1 per hour salary as a typist for a math professor. Doris gave up the job fairly quickly, left college and moved to Chicago, where she eventually became Office Manager for a law firm. In 1972, she and her husband, George, moved to Wisconsin where they owned and ran a bar. In 1986, they sold everything and moved full-time to Naples, where they bought condos, rehabbed them and then sold them. To this day, Doris still condo watches. All that time she harbored a desire to teach, but her husband discouraged her. After he died in 2004, Doris decided to become an LVCC tutor and finally accomplish that long-held goal. Doris' first student was a Colombian woman, Astrid, who wanted to become a U.S. citizen. So they studied for three years and prepared Astrid for the test. Doris drove her to Miami to take the test which Astrid passed with flying colors. I was so gratified I was able to help Astrid meet her goal, said Doris. Eventually Astrid enrolled in classes at Edison, and Doris went on to work with two other students. Doris gets frustrated when people complain that Spanish speakers don't want to learn English because she knows first hand that that is not true. Somebody needs to step up and help and I am happy to be one of the ones to do it, she added. She took Spanish for a year and discovered one thing that makes learning English difficult for our students. In Spanish there is often one word for something that will change the thing from feminine to masculine with only the change of a single letter, while in English there are two completely different words that they must learn. For example, husband and wife are completely different words in English, but in Spanish only one letter or article is different between the masculine and feminine: el esposo or la esposa. This is one of many examples which make it difficult for our students to learn English. Doris appreciates the difficulty and admires her students for the effort they invest in learning. She is just about to start work with her newest student. I am anxious and excited at the prospect of working with a new learner, she said. Janet Saltarelli, Board member Tutor Retention Committee Chair Another Name for Annual Golf Event LVCC s annual golf tournament will now be known as The Neil Birch Memorial Golf Tournament. The event will be held at Quail West Country Club on Saturday, 5th May. The late Mr. Birch s family has generously agreed to underwrite the tournament in his memory. Chico s, a long-time and valued supporter of LVCC, has kindly underwritten the golf tournament as well. March Marks an Anniversary March marked the fifth anniversary of Elaine Mayrides, our Executive Director, joining the organization. Since her arrival at LVCC Elaine has created new and more effective ways of delivering our mission. Elaine also introduced Dancing with the Stars for Literacy, our premier fundraising event which has raised well over $200,000 in five years. We are fortunate to have Elaine at the helm; she has guided us through many ups and downs and we are a stronger group because of her leadership and talent, said Rita Bleasdale, LVCC president Bookmarks with Impact LVCC has recently received 500 bookmarks designed by Board member, Pam Hunter. Originally planned for the Bill Geist luncheon, they are now available at the Offices. Please feel free to take a few and distribute to people who might be interested in literacy and our organization. The bookmarks tell the LVCC story succinctly and with impact. Additionally, if anyone would like to deliver some of the rack cards to various retail and professional offices in Collier County, please pick them up and distribute them for us. They also spell out opportunities for would-be tutors. The non-reading children are the greatest problem in American education....glenn Doman, How to Teach your Baby to Read

6 Literacy Lines Page 6 Luis (left) and Barry A Prize-Winning Essay Two entries for the annual essay contest stood out at the first reading by the judges one from Luis Guiterrez, a recent immigrant from Colombia, and the other from Nidia Fonseca from Cuba. In the end, Luis won. Open to all active and former students, the essay had to explain how LVCC had helped a student and his family learn about American culture. Luis essay was so compelling and erudite that the judges wondered if he had received particular help from his tutor. Of course he had not, said Elaine Mayrides, but his essay clearly demonstrated an excellent grasp of the subject and English. Luis is highly motivated and an impressive member of the LVCC study body. As well as studying with his tutor, Barry Tatel, Luis attended conversation classes run by Flora Metrick and Harriet Adelstein, and also spent time in the computer lab. Here is his prize-winning essay which he read to the crowd at the annual picnic: Learning about American culture means being in touch with people engaged in different activities, different levels of education, and to allow one to have different views on the lifestyle in the country. Personally, LVCC, with its English training program has helped me to quickly immerse myself in American Culture based on three elements: conversation classes, individual tutorials, and having contact with people from other countries that share my same interest - to learn English. I have lived in this country less than a year, however, perseverance and constant motivation to attend the various activities of LVCC allowed me to adapt quickly to United States culture, and to continue my personal and professional development in America. Thanks to the conversation and grammar classes, and activities that are performed in them, I have learned several things about the United States. For me as a Colombian student and as a person who was not born in this country, it has been very important to know about the origin of special dates like Thanksgiving, Valentine's Day, Presidents' Day, July 4th, Memorial Day, Veterans Day, among others. There was a significant level of training to learn about those responsible for these special days. Thanks to the tutor assigned to me who I have been working with since early September 2011, I have had the opportunity to study widely different facts of the history of the United States. The high level of education of my tutor, his professional experiences and cultural wealth of knowledge, allowed me to work in each class with different aspects of the country's history dating from before Independence, the process of independence and drafting of the Constitution of the United States, the Civil War and leading to events of the late 20th century. I have also learned about the branches of government and how they work, and study people who are part of the country's history or have been recognized by some aspect of their lives: George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, John Adams, George Armstrong Custer, and Daniel Boone, among others. I have met with my tutor to discuss general topics which helps me to understand more about American culture. Contact with people from different countries who have lived in the United States longer than I have teaches me another point of view by listening to the experiences they have had since their arrival here. This aspect is relevant because they are past that stage I am just living and helps me to avoid mistakes or to do things in a better way. This training process has required a great deal of professionalism, interest and dedication on the part of the people who invest their time unconditionally to help in this process of training and adaptation in this country. I take this opportunity to thank you very much for all your dedication, disposition, and above all, for all your patience in the learning process. Author: Luis J. Gutierrez Student Reviewed by: Barry Tatel Tutor Nidia Fonseca This will never be a civilized country until we expend more money for books than we do for chewing gum....elbert Hubbard

7 Page 7 Reading is a basic tool in the living of a good life.... Mortimer Adler Counting the Clicks Interesting information comes to us from Google Analytics about the number of visits people make to our website Since the beginning of the year, 308 people in the U.S. have clicked on to our site and spent an average of 2.41 minutes looking at 3.6 of our pages. Of that number, more than 80% are from new viewers. According to Google, three people in the U.K. and three in India have also looked at LVCC s site looking, on average, at two pages. Visits from Italy, Brazil, Germany, Egypt, Panama, Poland and Taiwan have also been noted. Change of Hours LVCC office hours changed last month. The doors are now open, Monday through Thursday at 9:00am (as usual), but will close at 5:00pm instead of 4:00pm. Rooms at No Charge Did you now that the Golden Gate Library has rooms available for LVCC tutoring? As LVCC is a non-profit the Library does not charge for use of the rooms, which can be reserved in advance. Brain Teaser Can you work out what the seven words below all have in common 1. Banana 2. Dresser 3. Grammar 4. Potato 5. Revive 6. Uneven 7. Assess No, it is not that they all have at least 2 double letters. Answer: Place the first letter at the end and the word spells the same backwards. Happenings at LVCC Flora Metrick, Harriet Adelstein, Luis Guiterrez and Barry Tatel. Getting to know you at the picnic. Conversation Class with Flora Metrick. A new group of trained volunteer tutors pose after receiving their graduation certificates. Beginner computer class for our students.

8 LVCC Board Members Rita Bleasdale President James Galton Vice-President Janet Saltarelli Vice-President Mitch Melheim Treasurer Judy Peterson Secretary Sandi Rasmussen Immediate Past President Robert Breitbard Trisha Hare Amy Hoffman Kathy Hughes Pam Hunter Jennifer Immel Dick Melick Bill Nichols Kitty Sachs Honorary Board Edna Burns Leo Mediavilla Elaine Newton Dennis Sprague Thomas Sully Staff Elaine Mayrides, Exec. Director Ingrid Fernandez, Program Coordinator Sandra Barreto, Exec. Assistant Literacy Lines Contributors Editor: Rita Bleasdale Editor-at-large: Elaine Mayrides Design and Lay-Out: Pam Hunter, Paisley Thyme Contributors: Ingrid Fernandez, Jennifer Immel, Janet Saltarelli Lely Plaza 8833 Tamiami Trail East Naples, Fl (fax) Make a Donation Now and Make a Difference Name Address City State Home Zip Cell Amount Please return your check made out to LVCC to us at 8833 Tamiami Trail East, Naples, Fl Thank you for helping us continue to make a difference in Collier County!