February
 2016
Update
eNewsletter
"Whenever you read a good book, somewhere in the world a door opens to allow in more light."
Vera Nazarian
 

We hope that you're enjoying 2016. Is it going quickly for you too?!

In this edition, we're specifically celebrating the beautiful stories and revelations of our students, coaches and other volunteers.

Literacy really is the gift that keeps on giving! 

Support from generous donors and volunteers like you make the programs that help transform people's lives possible. Thank you for being a world changer! We invite you to share this e-newsletter with other people who share our vision for a world of people who not only know how to read, but have hope and the ability to not only change their lives, but those of their families and our community.

Click here to find out how you can help.
Sharing the Literacy Connects Love!
STUDENTS GIVE BACK

Our Adult Basic Literacy program prides itself on being an "on ramp" for our students. They come to us to prepare for the next step towards their goals. Sometimes that next step is job training, a GED program, or a promotion at work. Sometimes the next step is one that none of us anticipated ... giving back to the organization to help other students succeed.  Cydne Bolton, Learning Center Coordinator at the Lindsey Learning Center, a collaboration with the Pima County One Stop, has seen this recently.

Hawa has been a student there for over a year, working towards a GED and job training. She is a Congolese refugee and is described by Cydne as "the quietest person on the face of the Earth." She met one goal last month when she obtained employment. Her pride was evident when she walked into the Lindsey Center and gave Cydne a cash donation for food and coffee. It was the first time she has been able to contribute, and she wanted to make sure that these things that had always been provided for her as a student were available for others too.

Another ABL student at our Yavapai location gives back in so many ways! Easlyn is a 78-year-old woman originally from Grenada. She attends classes faithfully and can be found most mornings before class walking through the courtyard with a rag cleaning off the patio furniture and benches. She knows that many tutors and students use that space for tutoring and relaxing (especially after the amazing makeover by Santa Rita Landscaping). Easlyn also participates in our book cleaning sessions every Friday morning, preparing free books for our Reading Seed children and other Literacy Connects students. She also came in with a cash donation recently, humbly saying that she hopes to be able to give more next time. Another day, she brought in delicious doughnuts and other pastries as well as juice. She's a sweetheart!

Marty Calanche and Uwe Keilitz are both ABL graduates. They worked hard in ABL classes and tutoring and have been able to use the "on ramp" to move towards their goals. Marty is a student with Pima College Adult Education, but we still frequently call on him for speaking engagements. He recently spoke to the volunteer committee for the Tucson Festival of Books to help them understand what the support of the Festival means for Literacy Connects learners. Uwe loved classes and meeting new people so much that he took the English Language Acquisition for Adults training and is now a tutor in that program. He helps students from all over the world as they struggle with the language and new culture. He is so proud to be able to help other adults as he was helped in the past.

We are so grateful for these adult learners, their tremendous progress, and all the many ways they find to share their gifts and gratitude with others.
TUTORS GROW SO THEY CAN SOW
 
It's that magical time in the school year when progress and student learning becomes evident. The Reading Seed coaches have built strong relationships with their students, and things that were struggles all during the fall are starting to click. As exciting as this is, it's equally as exciting to see the growth in our volunteers.
  
Reading Seed Volunteer Manager and Trainer, Jessica Dennes, shared a story of the huge impact that coach learning has on students and their families. Last November, she worked with a coach who was having difficulty finding his groove with his students, and he just couldn't understand why they weren't doing what he was asking them to do. So, he asked for advice! 

After he shared his struggles with Jessica and was open to her suggestions, he attended some Professional Development workshops, and he explored our library resources with Violet Kennedy, our Library Coordinator. He took these new ideas and tools and reframed his work with his kids. Rather than trying to change the students' actions, he began to focus on their strengths and their interests. His goal changed to how to make reading fun! 

Now they play word games and use wordless books, and he uses the free books to engage them beyond just their time together. His new approach not only changed the way he viewed his students' abilities, but it has also increased their engagement and motivation to read. 

Recently, the coach shared this: 

"Since I have taken a more fun approach with the boys, they seem more engaged ... One success story is Miguel [name changed]. My 4th grader is teaching his mother how to read English. When I suggested that the boys find someone in the family to read with, Miguel said no one in his family spoke English. It was his idea to teach mom. The whole interaction has been very rewarding. I can definitely see progress."

We celebrate ALL our volunteers who spend so much time on their own learning so that their students can grow!
Volunteer "Rock Star" Spotlight
Meet Hayden Jorde!

Hayden Jorde is originally from Clovis, New Mexico, but he spent most of his childhood in Queen Creek, Arizona. A recent graduate from the University of Arizona with a double major in Anthropology and Communication, one of Hayden's passions is teaching. Before volunteering with Literacy Connects, he taught with Horizons for Refugee Families and he's also a tutor at the SALT Center at the University of Arizona. This summer, Hayden will be leaving for Chengdu, China to teach English for the Peace Corps!

Hayden shared that he is "really appreciative for all the training and guidance the kind folks at Literacy Connects have given me. Literacy Connects has given me a very real way to help my community and I am thankful for that. It has also been fundamental in helping me prepare for volunteer service with the Peace Corps. I plan to take all I have learned about teaching English with me to China.

Hayden gave some great answers to our Literacy Connections "What is your story?" questions:

What does literacy mean to me?
 
"To me literacy is access to a world of opportunity that might otherwise be denied to people in the English speaking world. It is access to jobs, education and human connections."
   
Desert Island Book
 
"Don Quixote is my desert island book. It is hugely funny and incredibly re-readable. Beyond that it is a great reflection of what it is to believe in something."
 
What's something most people don't know about you?
 
"I was a junior rodeo champion in High School."
Brief Book Review
For Adults


Being Mortal 
by Atul Gawande
Review by: Nancy Siner

A book for everyone because everyone dies, but not everyone dies in the manner that most dignifies their life. Being Mortal is about the hard choices an individual and their family have to make at the end of life, but the infinite rewards and peace of mind that come with taking the time to make the hard choices and engage in the difficult conversations. It is eye opening for readers of all ages to reflect on their own lives and ultimately, death.
IN THIS ISSUE
Calendar of Events



Check out what's happening on our March  calendar.

Special March Highlight!
The Tucson Festival of Books, University of Arizona Campus
March 12 - 13, 2016
9:30am to 5:30pm!

Wish List
  • crates or bookshelves for children to store their book collections
  • iPad for library usage
  • bike rack for courtyard
  • paper folder
  • an accordion door

If you can think of a person or organization to help out, please let us know!


Call For Volunteers!

Literacy Connects is looking for dedicated, passionate volunteers.  Learn how to get involved.
Some ways to  stay in touch!

 
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We believe in starting early at Literacy Connects!