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.

Please contact us if you know an individual who is in need of literacy services. Referrals may be made to Raissa Reimer, our Student Services Coordinator, at reimer@winlit.org, or by calling 236-5219 x 4802.

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!

Dan Paluge, Store Director, Pick n' Save Koeller & 20th, Dan Ostreich, Assistant Store Director, Pick n' Save Koeller & 20th; Liz Rice Janzen, WCLC Executive Director; Neil Romenesko, Store Director, Pick 'n Save North; Connie Jones, Roundy's Foundation Administrator; Jeff Guenther, Assistant Store Director,

Pick 'n Save North

On March 12, 2009, Roundy's Foundation Administrator Connie Jones, and Pick ’n Save store directors in Oshkosh presented a check on behalf of the Roundy’s Foundation to the Winnebago County Literacy Council (WCLC). The presentation took place under the dome in the Oshkosh Public Library.

This is the foundation’s fifth grant awarded to WCLC. Executive Director, Liz Rice Janzen accepted the grant valued at $6,500.

About Roundy’s Foundation

Chartered in August 2003, the Roundy’s Foundation was created to further strengthen the commitment Roundy’s Supermarkets, Inc. has to the communities it serves.  Roundy’s Pick ’n Save, Copps and Metro Market stores are found throughout Wisconsin.  Rainbow stores serve their customers in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.  The Roundy’s Foundation is dedicated to hunger relief, families in crisis due to domestic abuse and literacy, and since its inception has given more than $3.6 million to organizations focused on community service in those areas of need.  Major grant recipients include food banks, women and family violence shelters and literacy programs throughout Wisconsin and Minnesota. 

Celebrating 20 Years in 2009!

We have much to be thankful for as we enter into 2009. As we celebrate two decades of service in Winnebago County, we are proud of our student's accomplishments.

With your support, we hope to help hundreds more families in our next 20 years, as adult and family literacy remains a critical concern in our community and across the nation. But we need your help to do so.

We understand that these are tough economic times, so we want you to know that a gift of any amount can make a difference. Please consider donating just $20 per month in 2009 in honor of our 20 years of service in Winnebago County.

You may make 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

Hosted by the Volunteer Center, the Walk/Run will occur on May 2nd , 2009 at 9:00 am in Menominee Park. We need your help! By participating in this non-competitive 5K Walk/Run you will be helping to generate support for our much needed programming at the Winnebago County Literacy Council.

Here’s how it works:

• First: Have us mail you your own Human Race Application Form or click on the link to download your own, Human Race WCLC Registration Form and ask family, friends, neighbors, colleagues, and even the pizza delivery person to donate to a great cause, the Winnebago County Literacy Council. No amount is too small! Feel free to talk up the great successes you are having with your student and how this agency is helping Oshkosh become more literate.
• Second: Collect the pledges as you receive them. Again someone can pledge $5, $10, $20, $50, or $100. Any amount is acceptable. Donors are not pledging per mile or anything, just one flat donation. Checks can be made payable to the Human Race. Pledges can be made and collected right up to the event date, May 2, 2009.
• Third: Either turn in your pledges to us at the Winnebago County Literacy Council by May 1st at noon if you want to help, but can’t participate. Or if you want to join in the actual Walk/Run Event, you can meet me and other supporters of literacy at Menominee Park during the event registration which runs from 8:15-9:00 am and turn your pledges in there. All Walkers/Runners who turn in at least $25 in pledges are eligible to receive a t-shirt to remember the day by.

Thanks and we hope to see you there! Please invite your student to walk with you in the event. We are trying to have a visible presence at this year’s event. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call us.

Dana, Liz & Raissa

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 ny 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 (939250) assigned to your card. Each time you use your card we get a donation!

What's New

WCLC Board Member

Natalie Johnson

Natalie Johnson is the Marketing Communications Manager at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. Her previous experience includes nearly 11 years at New Mexico State University, and three years as a newspaper reporter in Wisconsin. She has a Bachelors and a Masters degree from UW-Madison in Journalism / Life Science Communications. Her interest in literacy stems from a love of language (as a writer and editor) and the importance of education for a quality life. She has served as a literacy council tutor for the past three years.

Tutor Resource

Online Nutrition Lesson

As part of a Federal Nutrition Grant though the Network for a Healthy California, the San Diego Community College District developed an online, low literacy level lesson for adult literacy learners. It includes content related to fat and salt content in fast foods. It is free and includes video, online games and quizzes:  http://www.lessonsforlivingwell.org.

Programs

Location:  Oshkosh Public Library

Dates: March16th through the 19th (Monday - Thursday)

Time: 9:00am – 12:00pm

Dates: April 13 th through the 16th (Monday - Thursday)

Time: 6:00pm – 9:00pm

Check our website, www.winlit.org, or contact us for 2009 training dates.

Location:  Oshkosh Public Library

Date: Saturday, March 28  

Time: 9:00am-1:30pm

Date: Saturday, April 25  

Time: 9:00am-1:30pm

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-ppropriate 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.

Volunteer Spotlight

Stepheny Mulholland & Kodi Newell

I began tutoring because I enjoy working with people and thought I could help others who have difficulty with reading and math.  I have tutored Kodi for three years now and feel a deep commitment to her.  She has made tremendous progress and is now attending Fox Valley Technical College in their HSED program.  I feel very proud of Kodi and all that she is accomplishing. 

The following is an excerpt from a letter written by Kodi. "We have been working together for three years. In those three years she has brought my grade levels to sixth grade or higher.

It does not end there. She helped me with reading a phone book, applications, résumés, dictionary, proper English, all and other life's challenges. Most importantly my driver's license. Which was a long process.

I'm so lucky to have her. Stephney has made the impossible, possible. I'm forever thankful for her time, compassion, and belief in me.

Now I can go to college. My dream has come true."

Events

The Oshkosh Public Library Team Defends Their Title as the 2009 Bee Champs! Oshkosh Christian School new Middle School Spelling Champions!

More than $4,500 was raised on February 21st during our eighth Annual Spelling Bee Fundraiser, entitled, “How Do You Spell Chocolate?”  Local businesses and area middle school teams participated by competing against each other in a fun, old-fashioned spelling bee.

Middle School team sponsor was US Bank. Knowing the relationship between breakfast and academic performance, Festival Foods graciously donated muffins. Miss Oshkosh, Tosha Herrman, was a special guest, helping with the judging and presenting trophies to the winning teams. "got spelchek?" pens were provided by the creative team from 4Imprint, an appropriate consolation prize for the participants to use while they practice writing the words they misspelled.

The Bee kicked off the morning with the middle school bee competition.  Mark Harris returned as the emcee. Patti Vickman and Deb Zarling, both of the OASD were judges for the event.  Middle school teams spelling in this year’s bee included:  Oshkosh Christian School and Webster Stanley Middle School.  Special thanks go out to the teachers and students who participated in this event.  Joshua Kalmus, from Oshkosh Christian School led his team to the title.  Jonathan Gibson, representing Webster Stanley Middle School finished second.

Jerry Burke presided as the Corporate Bee emcee. Karen Siefert and Mark Rohloff judged the event.  This year’s spellers had the opportunity to earn life lines through pledges.  With words such as mountebank, imprimis and abhorrence, life lines were in demand.

The Oshkosh Public Library overcame fierce competition from the Oshkosh Downtown Rotary to defend their title. Jeff Gilderson-Duwe correctly spelled euphonius, edging out Kathy Propp from the Oshkosh Downtown Rotary who went out on bailiwick. The remainder of the field included teams from 4Imprint, CitizensFirst Credit Union and Southwest Rotary.

Throughout the day, participants and spectators had the chance to bid on silent auction items. All in attendance helped themselves to free chocolate and beverages provided by The Oshkosh Shoppe, Fox Valley Cheesecake Company, Starbucks Coffee, and Lara’s Tortilla Flats. 

You’re invited to join us at the Ninth Annual Corporate and Middle School Spelling Bee, entitled, “How Do You Spell Chocolate?” to be held in February 2010. Interested in being a sponsor for next year’s event? Several sponsorship levels are still available.

Join us again on Saturday, September 19, 2009, from 1-3

for our 2nd Annual

Team Scrabble Fundraiser

Becket's Restaurant

City Center

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

Wanted!

Adult Literacy Tutoring Program

Cassette players with recording option

Blank cassette tapes

Family Literacy Program

Gift certificates to grocery stores to purchase snacks

Juice

Crackers

Napkins and paper plates

Play dough

Office Supplies

Dry eraser markers (wipe boards)

Copy paper

Manila file folders

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

Of Interest

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!