Literacy Volunteers « Broadreach BLOG

June 23, 2011

New Literacy Outreach Stations for Waldo County

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: Broadreach grants, Literacy Volunteers — Deb @ 10:11 am

Literacy Volunteers of Waldo County (LVWC), a program of Broadreach Family & Community Services, has received a grant from the Waldo County Fund of the Maine Community Foundation to increase self-sufficiency and stability for area residents with literacy challenges. Broadreach will work with community partners to establish at least three Literacy Outreach Stations at local food pantries and soup kitchens.

Traditionally, LVWC tutors and adult learners make a six-month or longer intention to work together. While this schedule works for some in the community, there are other potential volunteers and service recipients who are not ready to make such a commitment but who might be interested in participating in a less intensive manner. The new Literacy Outreach Clinics will provide LVWC with the opportunity to
• create a greater presence in the community,
• serve more individuals and recruit more volunteers,
• reach potential learners at locations where they are already regularly accessing services, and
• create stronger partnerships with existing community service organizations.

LVWC Literacy Outreach Stations will provide benefits to recipients of the services, to those who volunteer their time and efforts to a worthy cause, as well as to the organizations that host them. Additionally, the project will raise community awareness about the issues of adult literacy challenges, increase awareness of available services by challenged community members, increase referrals for local service providers, increase participation in on-going literacy programming at LVWC and increase volunteerism in local communities.

LVWC is seeking community volunteers to provide literacy assistance, information and referrals to individuals at the Literacy Stations Clinics. A new volunteer training session is planned for later this summer. For more information about serving as a tutor for LVWC, or about the other programs of Broadreach Family and Community Services, please contact Patrick Walsh at 338-2200 Ext 109 or pwalsh@brmaine.org. Additional information about Broadreach is available at its website, www.BRMAINE.org and on Facebook.

Comments Off

August 26, 2010

HUTCHINSON CENTER IN BELFAST OPENS NATIONAL LITERACY MONTH WITH EXHIBIT AT FERNALD ART GALLERY: LITERACY VOLUNTEERS OF WALDO COUNTY HOSTS RECEPTION SEPTEMBER 14.

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: Broadreach, Literacy Volunteers, Waldo County — Deb @ 11:58 am

Portland ME – “The courageous men and women portrayed in these photographs have achieved literacy skills and met personal goals through their dedicated work with Literacy Volunteers. They inspire others with low literacy or limited English-speaking background to accomplish similar life-changing results.” So affirms Patrick Walsh, coordinator of Literacy Volunteers of Waldo County, about the significance of the FACES OF LITERACY: VOICES OF COURAGE exhibition.

LV Waldo County, a program of Broadreach Family & Community Services in cooperation with the University of Maine – Hutchinson Center in Belfast, will host the exhibit September 8 to December 17, 2010 at the Center’s H. Allen & Sally Fernald Art Gallery. Viewing hours will be weekdays 8:00 am to 9:00 pm Monday through Friday; 8:00 am to 3 pm Saturdays. The public is invited to attend an opening reception with light refreshments Tuesday, September 14, from 5:30 to 7:00 pm in The Atrium, adjacent to the Gallery. Individuals interested in LV Waldo’s fall training program to be volunteer tutors are encouraged to attend the reception.

September is National Literacy Month. Dr. C. Sue McCullough, Director of the Hutchinson Center, comments, “This collection of remarkable photographs and stories presents a wonderful opportunity to let our community know more about the important work of Maine’s Literacy Volunteers.”

The exhibit, which is part of an outreach campaign organized by Literacy Volunteers of Maine (LV Maine), has toured five Maine regions since its statewide premiere at the Saco Museum in October 2009. 20 large format, black-and-white portraits document 41 adults from across the state who came together in the Maine Literacy Volunteers Network. Small business owners, new Americans, students, health care workers, truck drivers, retired librarians, scientists and political asylees are portrayed, along with their dramatic personal testimonials. Photographers Ashley Earl, Melissa DiPaola, Emma Sampson, Jeffrey Fujiu, Jessica Perro and Diane Wren collaborated on the project pro bono under the direction of LV Maine.

Established in 1986, Literacy Volunteers of Waldo County delivers literacy instruction to adults with a dedicated corps of trained tutors. Walsh adds, “If you want to read or write better, we are here to help with confidential literacy services. Whether you have a short-term goal of getting your driver’s license, or a long-term plan to complete your GED, we can tailor a program for you. We also always need volunteer tutors to
help people improve their literacy and achieve their goals.”

LV Waldo’s next tutor training session begins September 22 in Belfast. To sign up for the tutor training, or learn more about the FACES OF LITERACY: VOICES OF COURAGE reception, call Patrick Walsh at 338-2200 extension 109.
For more information on the exhibit hours at the Fernald Art Gallery, call the Hutchinson Center, 338-8000. www.hutchinsoncenter.umaine.edu.

About Literacy Volunteers of Maine (LV Maine):
LV Maine is the state office of the Maine Literacy Volunteers Network, and is dedicated to increasing access to literacy services for adults. The affiliates that span 14 Maine counties provide free, confidential reading instruction to over 1,000 adults each year through a network of devoted and well-trained tutors. LV Maine also manages the Adult Learning Opportunities Hotline, a toll-free telephone referral service that connects people with literacy and adult education resources.
Call 1-800-322-5455. www.lvmaine.org.

Contact: Elaine Tselikis, Literacy Volunteers of Maine
(207) 773-3191
elaine@lvmaine.org

Comments Off