TOP
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REASONS TO
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The
Literacy Council's Spring Newsletter, 2002
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Welcome
New Tutors! Cherie Ahlquist, Rachael Smith,
Hank Apfelberg, Doris Hand, Ruby Stuart, Maura Mahon,
Lisa Madsen, Chad Larson, Vicki Kuncir, George Urquhart,
Sarah Westberg, Ashley Anderson, Doris Smith, Teresa
Hoffman, Charles Dickey. Welcome to a new Center Directors:
Carol Dykstra- Nipomo. Marie Lepper- new center at Peace
Lutheran Church in Arroyo Grande, and Valerie Schneider-
Paso Robles.
Tutor Marian Middleton
THOSE
SPECIAL ONES AMONG US . . .
To
many of you reading this newsletter, nineteen years
of volunteer service will not seem unusual. You might
know or be yourself one who has committed many years
to literacy. However, for those of you recently trained
or in the first few weeks, months or years as volunteer
tutors, the following account might be inspiring. Nearly
twenty years ago, Marian Middleton was a tutor trainee
in Lynn Vivrette's pre-service workshop. Although trained
in accounting, deep in her heart Marian always wanted
to be a teacher. She joined the Grover Beach learning
center at the Central Coast Baptist Church and also
tutored at the neighboring Arroyo Grande St. John's
Lutheran center. Marian got to live a dream of many
tutors: she worked with very devoted and appreciative
learners. It is amazing that Mrs. Middleton tutored
her last student, Garciella, and her family members
over the period of 12 years. "I really enjoyed
it", she says." But I was lucky- my student
was incredibly motivated and determined to progress."
Marian cares a lot for the center she worked in for
such a long time. Over the years, she kept scrapbooks
and records of events and people involved. Never wanting
to be called a director, Marian performed the duties
of one, and welcomed new tutors and learners, making
it possible for the center to thrive. This year she
retires from full time tutoring, even though she has
already volunteered to be a substitute when needed.
Marian Middleton has added much to the history of our
organization and certainly personifies our motto of
SHARING THE LIGHT OF LITERACY!.
Thank you, Marian.
A
MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Dear
Literacy Council members,
On Sunday September 8, 2002, the Literacy Council
will celebrate the 20th Anniversary of its founding.
More than twenty years ago, literacy advocates and
visionaries, Lyn Vivrette and Betty Kirk, led a
team of devoted volunteers in providing literacy
services to Vietnamese immigrants in the city of
San Luis Obispo. Now we are a countywide non-profit
organization that yearly serves several hundred
learners. That growth- fourteen learning centers
and partnerships with the two learning centers at
CMC- has necessitated paid program administrative
staff. However, our real work- teaching adults Basic
English language skills- continues to be done by
devoted volunteer tutors. Today, we have over 300
individuals actively tutoring for us. |
They
are the force in our workforce. Their weekly hours
of working one-on-one with learners eventually produces
the spark that turns marks on a page into symbols
and symbols into a word that has meaning and sound.
Please join our board of directors and staff in
extending our thanks to our tireless volunteers.
Join us for a fun-filled afternoon on September
8, 2002. This newsletter includes a save the date
postcard- so save the date and when you receive
our invite this summer, please let us know that
you will be there! Meanwhile, I hope you all have
planned at least one lazy day of summer.
Enjoy,
Bernadette Bernardi
Executive Director |
STUDENT
WRITING
The
People I Love
By Isabel Rea - Literacy Student
(tutor: Jean Hughes)
I live in an apartment in Paso Robles with my husband
and my two children, Luis and Giselle. All my family
lives in Mexico.
I have three sisters and one brother, two sisters
are single. She is almost finished with the university.
My sister Maria is a teacher and my sister cecilia
is a beauty operator. My brother works with my father
on the ranch raising sugar cane. When he is out
working he likes to play soccer.
My english teacher is Jean, she is 83 years old.
She is a wonderful person. I love her. She's friendly
and looks younger than her age. She dances at class
act dance studio. My husband Fernando works for
an engineering company. He is a very nice man. My
little boy Luis is in 2nd grade. He reads and writes
spanish and is also learning English. Giselle is
22 months old and is growing fast. She is a joy
to have.
My dream is to go back to Mexico and Finish the
university. |
MARRIAGE
CEREMONIES
By Yuan Yu - Literacy Student
(tutor: Jeanne Davies)
Long long ago, when a pair of young people brought
their high school academic rank, they came back
to their home town in China, from England and America
respectively.
After the young man who asked his sister, who was
the young woman's classmate at America, to help
him make a proposal of marriage to the younger woman.
Soon after, this couple was married in a Christian
Church and started one's career. I am sure you can
guess who I am talking about.
My parents have four girls, popularly called "four
thousands price of gold". My four sisters all
are growing in China. When my elder sister was getting
married, they only need to have a marriage registration
with civil authority. There was no religious ceremony
at that time. I remember the day my sister wore
a beautiful white dress and the relatives, friends
and colleagues, dined together in a famous restaurant
for the wedding feast, they enjoyed themselves to
the fullest.
Now in China the cooperative wedding ceremony is
up-to-date. Many hundreds of newlyweds get together
at a famous place such as "the Great Wall",
making a solemn pledge of love and are joined together
forever. |
NEWS
FROM THE CENTERS
Farewell To Paso Center Director
Our center in Paso Robles is saying good-bye to
its center director, Chad Nielsen, who was recently
accepted by The Anderson Graduate School of Management
at UCLA for their MBA program. He will be moving
down to Los Angeles in August to pursue his degree.
He will continue as the Paso Robles center director
through July, but today we would like to thank him
very much for taking care of the Paso Robles group
of tutors and students. His fluency in Spanish was
a great help with introducing our new learners to
the program. Two years of Chad's service flew by
so fast! Good luck in your new endeavors Chad!
Los Osos- Peer Tutoring Works!
Our center in Los Osos has been experiencing an
unusual influx of new students, while the number
of available tutors is rather limited. To accommodate
the eager beginners Liz Curren, the center director,
came up with the great idea of utilizing more advanced
students as peer tutors. Maria Perez- a long-term
learner at the center- is a great substitute teacher
with the new learners. All the students seem to
enjoy the pleasure of being able to help those less
fluent, but Maria is definitely a natural and has
been very successful. Thank you, Maria.
Atascadero Learning Center Says Good-bye to Another
Tutor
Things will not be the same at the Atascadero
Bible Church on Monday and Thursday night, without
our long-time tutor Jim Rooney. After six years
of devoted tutoring, Jim retired in February. He
was one of those tutors who always "made it work"
for the benefit of the learner. When his students'
schedules changed so they couldn't attend the center
classes, Jim offered them flexible hours and met
with them on an individual basis. We would like
to thank Jim for his great work and positive attitude
throughout the years. |
The
Right Hands
Being a Center Director and a tutor at the same
time can be quite challenging. Especially, when
the numbers of tutors and students are growing.
That's why some center directors have their assistants,
sometimes called co-directors, sometimes not given
any special titles. The director's "right hand"
is someone who takes care of the paper work, or
the library, or makes sure things go smoothly during
the director's absence. These tutors assume extra
responsibilities to help create a nice working environment
for others. Some of the co-directors have been assisting
their directors for years. Here's a salute to those
who go an extra mile in their volunteering jobs:
- Marylyn Steel at the Nipomo Center
- Susan Cross at the Arroyo Grande Daytime Center
- Marian Middleton at the Grover Beach Center
- Sheila Pickard and Elaine Townsend at the San
Luis Obispo Daytime Center
- Trudy Harper at the Morro Bay St. Peter's Church
Center
- Jeanne Marquez at the Morro Bay St. Timothy's
Church Center
- Marcie Russo at the Los Osos Center
- Roy Champagne at the Atascadero Center
- and Elaine Thompson at the Cayucos Center
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Alejandra
& her tutor Madeline Holmes
READING
TO THE BABY
LITERACY
FIVE- a special program for parents of children 5 and
younger is implemented not only at the centers, but
also by our independent tutors. Madeline Holmes of Atascadero
has been working with her student for almost two years.
Alejandra is a new mom and is determined to raise her
daughter bi-lingually. That's why Madeline includes
instruction in reading children's books in her classes.
They work on comprehension and pronunciation, as well
as the right intonation and interaction with the baby.
The books Alejandra received from the Literacy Council
inspired her to check the resources of the local library.
The tutor and her learner make library trips together
and look for books that can enhance Alejandra's baby's
language development. We are sure that some day Madeline's
devotion will pay off, when both Alejandra and her child
are fully literate in English.
THANKS
TO THE FOLLOWING FOR THEIR CONTRIBUTION
$5,000 + Literacy Circle
California State Library
Children and Families Commission of SLO County / Prop.
10 San Luis Obispo City County Library The Tribune* In
Kind
$2,500 - 4,999 Benefactor
*Theodore A. Von Der Ahe Jr
$1,000 + Patron
Allen-Birge Charitable Trust/ Liz Curren *Blakeslee Family
Foundation, Inc. Charter Communications* In Kind California
Men's Colony East City of Morro Bay City of San Luis Obispo
Economic Opportunity Commission Even Start Lucia Mar *Russel
& Carol Kiessig Mid-State Bank Foundation *Phillips Petroleum
Co. Phillips 66* In kind Rotary Club of Five Cities San
Luis Obispo Friends of the Library Sinsheimer, Schiebelhut,
and Baggett* In Kind SurfariNet* In Kind Tenet Healthcare
United Way *Unocal Foundation/ Bill Almas
$500- $999 Donor
*Lucia Cleveland Charles Dunlap KSBY-TV* In kind *E. Thomas
Martin Pacific Gas & Electric / Tom Jones *J.R. Penrod
Rotary of Nipomo St. Barnabas Thrift Shop
$250 - 499 Sponsor
Altrusa International of Cinco Ciudades Barnett, Cox &
Associates* In Kind Bell-Warren Trust California Men's
Colony West *Pat Chapman Mary & Lesley Corbus *Susan Cushing
*Richard & Edwina De Long Delta Kappa Gamma Epsilon Delta
Chapter *First Bank of San Luis Obispo Fraternal Order
of Eagles *Allen K. Hutkin, ESQ *Emmy Kimball *Henry &
Cecily Lane Morro Bay Harbor Festival D'Elaine & Mike
Patrick *RRM Design Group *Rincon Consultants* David Wolff
The Sign Place* In kind *Stein & Casciola Law Corporation
The Mortgage House / Rick Brause
$100-$249 Partner
Andre, Morris, & Buttery Gil Apodaca Barbich, Longcrier,
Hooper & King *Roxanne Carr & Rodney Levin Cayucos Lion's
Club Carlyn Christianson *Coastal Rolloff Service *Cold
Canyon Landfill Frances Conn Jay & Victoria Conner Cuesta
College Library Robert & Sheryl Flores Framberger Employee
Benefits & Insurance Carol Jauregui Hap & Gayle Harbert
David & Sharon Juhnke Kinkos * In Kind Jerry and Viola
Koory Jeanne & Barry LaBarbera MacTeacher* In Kind
Edwina Mindheim *Mission Country Disposal Rotary of Morro
Bay Peggy & Gerry Peterson Scott & Barbara Radovich Julie
Rodewald *San Luis Garbarge Co. St. Stephenıs Episcopal
Church Shirley Selkirk Christopher Smith & Associates
*So. County Sanitary Service David & Madeleine Shaw Torre
Houlgate-West Presbyterian Church Board of Deacons United
California State Employees Campaign Nancy Woodard
$50-$99 Friend
John Akin Keith Aplustill & Sari Pinto Trish Avery Suzan
Boatman* In kind Mac & Bonnie Brinton Rick Brause/ The
Mortgage House, Inc. Lenarda & Edward Chambers Richard
& Diane Dannells Serim & Bilgi Denel Ellen Dollar Christopher
Duenow First Church of Christ-Scientist James & Susan
Fuller Mary Harris Katherine Henderson Madeline Holmes
Jeanne Hoyt Elizabeth and Elmer Kirk James Knecht Frances
& Allan Mayer Mary Anne's Hallmark Marian & Robert Middleton
Morro Bay Women's Club Jeffrey Priolo Brian & Diane Reynolds
Evelyn Riedinger Margo & Timothy Smith Patty Terbeck Karen
Tipple James & Virginia Toomer Paula Tripp Michael Wright
Insurance Doris Wiley Leabah Winter Nancy Woodard Laurel
Woodson Natalie Woodson
$15-$49 Reader
ean Abderhalden Jack & Grace Beigle Patricia Bristow Diane
& Richard Brown Chapala Market of Morro Bay Jessie Covey
Esther Crampton JoAnn & Ben Edmondson Shirley Ferguson
Regina Foster Evelyn Frailing in honor of Helen Haberland
Daphne & Gerald Freedman David Edwards & Karen Gallas
Judythe Guarnera Vivian Guenzel in honor of Helen Haberland
Patricia and Lyle Guipre Margaret Hammond in honor of
Helen Haberland Thomas & Lona Harney Renee Heller Laura
Kirschner Ann Martinez Lois & Frank Martinez Geraldine
Ellerbrock Matrange Maya Restaurant Mary Parker Peace
Lutheran Church Ladies Guild Paulette Perlman Irma Powell
Andrea Raggio Jo An Roper Betsy & Roger Sprenkle Sue Svercheck
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