WELCOME TO JOPLIN NALA READ

REACHING OUT    MEETING NEEDS   SERVING PEOPLE

       Chaos! Turmoil! Disaster!

            Chaos! Turmoil! Disaster! No, not the aftermath of the tornado—although those were the after effects of that terrible day in May. I’m referring to the chaos—the turmoil—the feeling of disaster in the lives of the 8,000 people in Jasper County who do not read well enough to advance in their job, or to get a job in the first place—those who cannot read the directions on a medicine bottle or the instructions on safety regulations—the people who cannot speak English well enough to function in our monolingual society—these people survive in the midst of language chaos every day. The black marks on paper that mean so much to other people do not convey meaning to them. Their lives are in turmoil and they need help to make sense of print—to speak and work safely alongside their co-workers.

            That’s where Joplin NALA Read comes in. We offer free help to adults who need to improve their reading, math, or English skills. Our volunteers work one-on-one or in a class with adults who want to find a way out of the chaos that surrounds them every day—the chaos that comes because they can’t read well enough to function at their best.

            Susana returned to NALA in September after having been away for several years. Her friends convinced her that improving her English would enable her to help her son with his homework and find a job to support her children. John wants to get his GED but needs help with comprehension, so his tutor focuses on that. Sam is looking for a better job and must read well in order to get it.

            In order to continue meeting our students’ needs, we at NALA are in need of funds to fill the gap between income and outgo. Our goal is to create a smooth path for our students, to lift them out of the turmoil of low-level reading into a position of realizing their full potential. Will you help us with that goal?  We will appreciate any amount you can give to enable our students to become all they can be.

$25 allows a new student to complete orientation

$50 provides books for an adult literacy student to progress alevel in reading

$100 will provide children's books for a family literacy program

$150 provides the resources to train ten volunteer tutors

$200 furnishes the ESL classroom with bokks and supplies

Please include check, cash or money order.  Checks are made payable to Joplin NALA Read, P.O. Box 447, Joplin, MO  64802.  Donations of any amount toward this Annual Giving Campaign are greatly appreciated and are tax deductible.