Winnebago County
Literacy Council

"We teach so others may reach"

106 Washington Ave
Oshkosh, WI 54901
920.236.5185
www.winlit.org

The Winnebago County Literacy Council (WCLC) has been providing literacy services to adults throughout Winnebago County since its inception in 1989. The primary focus of the agency is to provide one-to-one tutoring opportunities to adults reading at or below a fourth-grade level. The WCLC utilizes trained volunteer tutors to teach adult students how to read and apply basic survival literacy skills to everyday life.

New Benefactors!

Each month, we acknowledge our new or renewing benefactors. These are hard working business people and friends who are willing to share their resources to see the Winnebago County Literacy Council and its programs grow.
To view the list of new or renewing benefactors, click here!

Giving to the WCLC is Easier in 2008!

Beginning in 2008 you may make a monthly contribution to the Winnebago County Literacy Council by having funds from your savings or checking account automatically deposited to the WCLC. You simply decide on the amount you want to contribute, click on our the credit/debit authorization form, complete and return the form to us, and we'll do the rest!

Credit/Debit Authorization Form

New Partners!

Three Heritage Makers consultants are pleased to announce they will be donating 25% of their profits to the Literacy Council for sales generated through people, parties, and events associated with the Literacy Council.  Heritage Makers is a web-based system of creating your own hardcover, professionally-published storybooks, posters, calendars, and cards.  For more information, visit www.AStoryToHold.com or email Carolyn Dargevics at cadargevics@yahoo.com.  You may also phone the consultants: Kate Thome at 920-379-0616, Rhonda Gustafson at 920-740-4277, and Carolyn Dargevics at 920-203-3610.

Support WCLC with Goodsearch.com and raise money!

What if the WCLC earned a penny every time you searched the Internet? Or how about if a percentage of every purchase you made online went to support our cause? Well, now it can!

Use http://www.goodsearch.com/ as your search engine - we earn a penny for every search you do.

GoodSearch.com is a new Yahoo-powered search engine that donates half its advertising revenue, about a penny per search, to the charities its users designate. Use it just as you would any search engine, get quality search results from Yahoo, and watch the donations add up!

GoodShop.com is a new online shopping mall which donates up to 37 percent of each purchase to your favorite cause! Hundreds of great stores including Amazon, Target, Gap, Best Buy, ebay, Macy's and Barnes & Noble have teamed up with GoodShop and every time you place an order, you’ll be supporting your favorite cause.

Just go to www.goodsearch.com and be sure to enter the Winnebago County Literacy Council as the charity you want to support. And, be sure to spread the word!

"We Care" Pick n' Save

You can support the WCLC each time you shop at Pick n' Save. Stop at the customer service desk and ask to have the WCLC account number assigned to your card. Each time you use your card we get a donation!

What's New

We are always looking for more Board members who believe in advocating for literacy issues in the Oshkosh community and throughout Winnebago County.  We hope you may find yourself being a part of changing people’s lives here in Oshkosh.  Meetings are held the third Thursday of the month at the Oshkosh Public Library from 4 - 5 PM. Interested students or individuals should contact Liz Rice Janzen, Executive Director, at 236-5185, or email her at janzen@winlit.org.

LITERACY FOUNDATION

The Winnebago County Literacy Council is one of six Wisconsin organizations receiving funding from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation. The Dollar General Literacy Grants award funding to non-profit organizations that provide direct service to adults and families in need of literacy assistance. We appreciate their support of both our Adult and Family Literacy programs and the opportunities we offer in the community.

Tutor Resource

Looking for a good website with ideas and literacy tools to use? Check out http://www.thinkfinity.org/home.aspx.

Attention Tutors: Make sure to check out the Adult Resource Cabinet in the lobby area on third floor. It has been thinned out and reorganized, making it much easier for you and your student to find a helpful resource! We have books to help with reading, writing, vocabulary, spelling, phonics, grammar, health literacy, workplace literacy, speaking, religion, obtaining a driver's license, math, citizenship & U.S. history, safety, science, finances & home buying, recycling & energy use, slang, idioms and gestures, as well as student-written stories and how to use the internet, phone, calendar & dictionary. Also available in the bookshelf by Dana's office are resources just for tutors on instructional issues as well as ideas and activities to improve your tutoring sessions. Don't forget about our website, either! We continue to add helpful websites and printable worksheets on a range of topics. If you have any questions, please see Raissa.

We have some Hmong-English children's stories (not to be checked out) that tutors/students can use. This is a good way for Hmong students to share their language with their tutor if they are able to read/speak it. Books are located in Family Literacy Cabinet in the 3rd floor lobby area.

Programs

Location:  Oshkosh Public Library, 3rd floor training room

Dates: June 10, 12, 17 and 19th (Tuesdays & Thursdays)       

Time: 6:00pm – 9:00pm

Dates: July 1, 3, 8 and 10th (Tuesdays & Thursdays)       

Time: 9:00am – 1:00pm

Location:  Oshkosh Public Library, 3rd floor training room

Date: Saturday June 21st      

Time: 9:00am-1:00pm

Date: Wednesday, July 23rd     

Time: 9:00am-1:00pm

Help open someone's world to opportunities once never thought possible.
Give the gift of reading -- register for a workshop today!!!

One-on-One Literacy Tutoring

WCLC provides one-to-one tutoring opportunities to adults and families in the areas of Basic Literacy, ESL, Family Literacy, Math, Workplace Literacy, and Citizenship.

One-on-One Family Literacy Tutoring Program

WCLC will train volunteer tutors to work with families at the library, in their homes, or another mutually agreed upon location in order to improve literacy levels and promote learning together as a family. This program hopes to empower parents to see themselves as their child’s first and best teacher.

Family Literacy Program

The Family Literacy Program serves refugee families needing to learn survival English. This Family literacy Program provides an Adult English as a Second Language (ESL) classes for parents while their children received age-appropriate learning in an Early Learning Classroom at the same time.

For information on any of these programs, contact Raissa Reimer at reimer@winlit.org or call 236-5219 ext. 4802.

Events

SCRABBLE BEE

Becket's Restaurant

City Center

5:30-9:30

Grab 3 of your friends, colleagues or co-workers and register your team to compete against others

Register now, space is limited!

Team Registration $100

Includes Food and Door Prizes.

Cash Bar

Team Registration Form

Not very good at Scrabble®?
No problem. You may buy extra letters, sneak peeks in the dictionary, and even get expert advice. The more you raise in pledges the more opportunities you'll have!

Pledge Sheet

Watch for additional details in upcoming issues

Winnebago County Literacy Council 7th Annual Spelling Bee a Success!

St. John Neumann Middles School Team Wins WCLC Middle School Bee!

The Oshkosh Public Library Team Reclaims Their Title as Bee Champs!

Join us next year, Saturday, February 21, 2009

Volunteer Spotlight

De De Harrison has been Diane VanDensen's tutor since November 2006.

.

Diane shares her thoughts.

My Teacher De De

De De is one of the best teachers I have had. She has taught me many things like how to to write in small letters instead of all capital letters. She has also taught me to say I can instead of I can't. Because of this I'm learning to read and write better. Thank you, De De!

Thank you Vicky Schroeder and 4Imprint for the donation of magnifying reading bars!

Wanted!

Adult Literacy Tutoring Program

Cassette players with recording option

Blank cassette tapes

Family Literacy Program

Gift certificates to grocery stores to purchase snacks

Small to medium size foam or Dixie cups

Napkins and paper plates

Play dough

Office Supplies

Paper shredder

Dry eraser markers (wipe boards)

Copy paper

Manila file folders

Black and color ink cartridges (Black is 96 Color is 97)

Of Interest

Help support
The 10th Annual Back to School Fair!
Last year, the Fair provided supplies for over 650 children!
A school bus will be parked in the
SHOPKO Parking Lot (1300 S. Koeller St).
June 18th from 8:00-12:30.
Lists of much needed school supplies will be available at SHOPKO
starting on June 9th.
Please help us STUFF THE BUS!!
For More information please contact the
Oshkosh Area United Way at 235-8560 or visit
www.oshkoshunitedway.org
Special Thanks to Cerebral Palsy of Mideast Wisconsin for providing the bus!

Business or articles of interest to the WCLC readership.

Do you have an article or item of interest to the business or education community that will benefit our tutors or students? We'd enjoy your input! This is a great way to spotlight your company, message or name! Contact Liz Rice Janzen!

Contact Us!

The easiest way to contact us is using email - you've seen our email address throughout - that of Liz Rice Janzen! Our phone number and mail address are:

920.236.5185 phone
920.236.5227 fax
106 Washington Ave. Oshkosh, WI 54901

Closing Notes:

Winnebago County Literacy Council relies exclusively on volunteers and gifts from our community to serve in our community. If you are willing to volunteer time or give a gift of money, thank you!