ProLiteracy: U.S. must address adult literacy to improve children’s literacy

 “Learning to read doesn’t take place in the classroom alone. It begins before a child enters school and continues at the end of the school day when parents and caregivers reinforce the reading and comprehension skills developed in school,” said David C. Harvey, president and CEO of ProLiteracy. “And in many cases, the children who need special reading programs have parents who are struggling readers.”

Harvey pointed to research that shows children of parents who are poor readers are far more likely to become poor readers than children whose parents have strong literacy skills. The 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy, also conducted on behalf of the Department of Education, estimated that 30 million adults in the U.S. can barely read and write and that many of those individuals fall into the low income category.

“This is a perfect example of what ProLiteracy has said about No Child Left Behind all along — that pouring all our efforts and financial resources into the K-12 public school system isn’t enough to address this country’s literacy issue,” Harvey said. “There’s an intergenerational aspect of literacy and if we don’t help the parents, we won’t be doing enough to help children.”

Harvey said ProLiteracy will continue to call for a restoration of the $10 million cut from state grants for adult basic education and literacy programs, and to demand that additional resources be allocated to adult literacy in the FY 2009 budget.

“We’re not against funding literacy programs for children, it’s just that ProLiteracy’s more than 70 years in the adult literacy field and our more than 3,500 individual and organizational members know that these programs won’t be as effective if the parents have been left behind,” he said.

NOTE:  Joplin NALA Read is an Accredited Affiliate of ProLiteracy America.

About ProLiteracy

Rochelle Cassella ( rcassella@proliteracy.org ) (315) 422-9121, ext. 353

ProLiteracy supports adults and young people in the U.S. and internationally who are learning to read, write, and do basic math by training instructors, publishing instructional materials, and advocating for resources and public policies that support them. For more information, please go to www.proliteracy.org and www.newreaderspress.com

SPELL BALL IS A GRAND SLAM FOR NALA

Thank you to the teams, sponsors, volunteers, and all who donated items to the silent auction – you all helped make this year’s Spell Ball event for Joplin NALA a grand slam.  “We met our goal,” said NALA’s Program Coordinator Joan Doner; “we raised over $5000 to enable us to help our students and the event increased literacy awareness in the community.” 

Fourteen teams competed, with this year’s top prize going to the team from St. John’s.  The event was again held at Martin Luther School which was transformed into Spell Ball Stadium for the evening.  Larry Sanborn sang “The Star Spangled Banner,” accompanied by his wife Gloria Sanborn on the keyboard. Former MSSU Baseball Coach Warren Turner tossed out the honorary first pitch.  And students from Martin Luther School participated in the exhibition round. 

In addition to the spelling action, spectators had an opportunity to enjoy Thickburgers and Shakes from Hardees and coffee from Starbucks - both corporate supporters.  They also bid on more than 60 different collections of items in the silent auction. 

Billie Hodson, Community Involvement Coordinator for Sam’s Club presented NALA with a $1000 community grant check prior to the final round of the evening.  Another hit at Spell Ball Stadium!  We also want to acknowledge team sponsors Karen Rutledge State Farm Insurance Agency, June Blalock, and Anne Sharp.  Again, many thanks to everyone involved in making this year’s event a grand slam for NALA and a win for adult literacy.

Joplin NALA Read gratefully acknowledges the 2008 teams:

St. John Regional Medical Center – Championship Award

Hardee’s of Joplin – Sportsmanship Award

Empire District Electric Company – Spirit Award

Martin Luther School

Sam’s Club

Missouri Southern State University English Department

The Joplin Globe

Starbucks Coffee Company

Lafayette House

Missouri Department of Corrections Board of Probation & Parole

Leggett & Platt

American Association of University Women

Freeman Health Systems

KSNF-TV

KODE-TV,  LEGGETT & PLATT, & SOUTHWEST MISSOURI BANK people met with Joplin NALA Read students during United Way’s Day of Caring June 11.

The students bombarded KODE-TV’s Lauren Hieger and Ray Foreman with questions about reporting the news and weather. Lauren told us about reporting. Ray explained the Doppler radar system and how it predicts tornadoes; he spoke about the jet stream, flooding, and the impact of meteorology on local utilities.

Southwest Missouri Bank’s Oscar Barahona and Emily Talken answered inquiries from the students about banking and offered suggestions for getting into the field of finance.

Mohammad Zeb, Javier Garcia, Enrique Aldrete, and Laura Alvarez from Leggett & Platt’s International Systems Department in their corporate office expanded our knowledge of the worldwide breadth of their company: 35,000 employees in 26 countries. All four are at least bilingual; two of the four are fluent in four or more languages. They shared the need to know other cultures in our global economy.

Each of the participants in the Day of Caring encouraged NALA students to realize the global value of English as the business language of the world. Whatever field they enter, knowing English plus their own language will benefit them.

Leave A Legacy Through Charitable Giving

By; Karen Rutledge

State Farm® agent

Schools, hospitals, museums, zoos, arts organizations, recreational facilities and places of worship all strive to make the world a better place and to improve the quality of our everyday lives.  Many, if not most, of these organizations are non-profit, which means they are supported primarily by public and private contributions.

Contributing money to a charitable organization is not only a generous act, but also one that is extremely rewarding.  You may want to make a larger contribution to a local organization or cause but feel it would put a strain on your budget.

However, with a little advance planning, you can contribute a much larger gift than you ever thought possible in your lifetime.  And you can do so with life insurance.  Other options include remainder trusts, gift annuities or wealth replacement trusts. 

Depending on the product you select, you can determine the amount of your yearly charitable contribution and use your yearly contribution to purchase and pay for a life insurance policy.  The charitable organization owns the policy and is the beneficiary of its proceeds.  The organization may use dividends, borrow or withdraw cash values during the life of the policy to meet their organization’s goals. 

Participating in a charitable life insurance program not only offers opportunity to make a difference, it is also a resourceful way to meet your charitable giving goals without putting a strain on your budget.  Meet with your financial and legal advisors to discuss what options are available to you to accomplish your charitable objectives.

GIVE THE GIFT THAT CHANGES LIVES

Imagine your life without the ability to read.  What price would you pay for the opportunity to learn?  Our students come seeking that opportunity.  Joe tells us, “I’m 35 years old, but I can’t read safety instructions at work – I can’t even fill out a job application by myself.  Can you help me?”  Then there’s Jennifer.  “When I was in the 9^th grade, I dropped out of school because reading was too hard.  Now I want to help my children with their homework, and I can’t.  I need your help.”

Your gift will help people like Joe and Jennifer accomplish something they never thought possible – to realize their full potential.  Your return will show up in changed lives, increased options, and new hope for our students.

LEAVE A LEGACY TO JOPLIN NALA READ