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!

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 to reflect on some of our accomplishments:
~ 168 students

~ 7,500 hours of volunteer tutoring
~ 60% of students increased their basic survival literacy skills

But the true measure of our success is seen in the progress of the families we serve like Heladio & Marta Javier and their three boys: Gabriel, 8, Sebastian, 4, & Andres, 2.

“These classes have been good for me. When
someone speaks to me, now I can understand English much better. It is easier now to read and write English. This has helped me at my job.” -Heladio Javier

With your support, we hope to help hundreds more families like the Javier’s in our next 20 years, as adult and family literacy remains a critical concern in our community and across the nation.

We understand that these are tough economic times, so wewant 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

New Partners!

Two 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: 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 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 assigned to your card. Each time you use your card we get a donation!

What's New

Tutor Resource

A Free Web Site for Adults Wanting to Improve Their English Skills

The U.S. Department of Education launched U.S.A. Learns, a free Web site to help immigrants learn English. The Web site, which is located at www.USALearns.org, provides approximately 11 million adults who have low levels of English proficiency with easily accessible and free English language training.

What is the “Web-based portal” www.USALearns.org?
The Online English Portal, known as USALearns, is an easily accessible Internet learning tool that contains instructional materials to teach basic English skills and help adults improve their English proficiency. The Web site is designed to allow learners with low-level literacy skills to use the tool independently, but it can also be used with a teacher or tutor. USALearns contains easy-to-understand directions and free instructional materials for independent study by these adults, and it can be used inside or outside the traditional classroom environment. The Web site has an online management system available for teacher and tutor use.

U.S.A. Learns offers the following features:

    * An easily accessible Internet learning tool;
    * Simple directions;
    * Free instructional materials developed to teach basic English skills and help adults improve their English proficiency; and
    * Learning modules that can be used outside a traditional classroom

Upon entering the site, users can choose directions in either English or Spanish and then pick which English level they need -- beginner or intermediate. Once in the modules, the instruction is almost exclusively in English. In the beginner course, 20 units are offered in such areas as numbers, the calendar, places to go, families, schools, clothes, money and shopping. For intermediate students, more challenging exercises can help them further their existing English reading and writing skills.

"America's limited-English adults will now have readily available materials to improve their literacy and help them become more productive workers, better parents, engaged community members and active citizens," said Troy Justesen, assistant secretary for the Office of Vocational and Adult Education.

Launch of the site completes one of the goals in President Bush's Aug. 10, 2007, announcement of 26 immigration reforms that his Administration would pursue within existing law -- including the assimilation of new citizens and helping immigrants learn English to expand their opportunities in America. Recognizing that "knowledge of English is the most important component of assimilation" and "an investment in tools to help new Americans learn English will be repaid many times over," the Administration pledged to launch a free, Web-based portal to help immigrants learn English.

The Literacy Council now has access to FREE public transportation vouchers for your students. The Arc - Winnebago County Disability Association has received a grant funded through the New Freedom Initiative which is designed to support current public transportation services and alternatives to public transportation.  The goal is to address some of the transportation issues that elderly, disabled and economically-challenged people face.  The program is called the Community Access Through Transportation Voucher Program. 

Here is how it works:  individuals experiencing economic hardship, individuals with disabilities, and/or elderly will receive vouchers from The Literacy Council.  The individuals will call transportation providers (City Cab, etc.) for rides in exchange for vouchers.  In turn, the transportation providers will turn in vouchers they receive to the Arc for reimbursement.  The vouchers can be used for transportation to/from tutoring sessions, employment, medical appointments, social or religious activities.  See a staff member for more information.

WCLC Board Member

Nancy Knoll-Gartner has been a member of the Winnebago Literacy Council since September of 2006. She served initially as an ad hoc member and then became a regular board member in the spring of 2007. Nancy is also member of the Kiwanis International. Nancy is the Chief Operating Officer of Clarity Care. She has worked for Clarity Care since 1992, first in the capacity of Nurse Educator and later as the Nurse Administrator of their Home Health Agency.  Her duties include the oversight and coordination of all Clarity Care service areas.

Nancy is a native of Chicago, Illinois and has lived in Oshkosh since 1981. She is a graduate of Ravenswood Hospital School of Nursing and received her license to practice as a RN in 1975. Nancy has worked in a wide range of nursing areas and most enjoyed working in the Emergency/Trauma Department in both Chicago and Miami, Florida hospitals. Prior to coming to Clarity Care, Nancy was an instructor at Fox Valley Technical College in the Allied Health Science Department.

Nancy lives in Oshkosh with her husband Mike. Nancy has two grown daughters. She enjoys reading, cooking, traveling and spending time with her family and dogs.

Programs

Location:  Oshkosh Public Library

Dates: November 17th through the 20th (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, December 6     

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-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

My name is Bonnie Smith and I have enjoyed working with three wonderful children, Omar, Jennifer, and Giselle, for almost two years.  Here are their comments on their tutoring experience.

            Omar, age 14 – “We do math and help on our homework.  I like it when we write stories.  It’s fun because we will get more smarter and get a better job in the future.”

            Jennifer, age 7 – “We read books and spelling.  I like books.  I like when we made pudding and trail mix.  I like it because we do fun things.”

            Giselle, at age 3, often joins her siblings to color and “write” on her paper.  She carefully observes our activities and repeats words she hears.

It is a privilege to share one hour a week with this family.  The children are eager learners and willingly work with me, even after a long day at school.  I am thankful to the W.C.L.C. for the opportunity to tutor and to the whole Leon family for welcoming me into their home each week.  Together, we enjoy the experience of learning.

Events

Who will be the 2009 Champions?

The Oshkosh Public Library Team Reclaims Their Title as the 2008 Bee Champs! Can they retain their title again this year? And will St. John Neumann Middle School Team be able to repeat?

You’re invited to join us at the Eighth Annual Corporate and Middle School Spelling Bee, entitled, “How Do You Spell Chocolate?” This fun competition, with a free chocolate sampling and silent auction will take place on February 21, 2009 at the Oshkosh Public Library.
It’s a great, grownup spelling bee with rules, and judges, and a spell caller just waiting to trip you up on a difficult word! The winning team will receive a trophy and plaque; the plaque will be a “traveling” plaque that will follow the winners of future spelling bees. To register your team call 920.236.5185.

Interested in being a sponsor of this year’s event? Several sponsorship levels are still available.

Join us again in September 2009 for our 2nd Annual

Team Scrabble Fundraiser

Becket's Restaurant

City Center

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!

"I'm not stupid, …I just can't read!"

Literacy may have become a current "buzz word" but the importance of this major global issue has long been recognized by international educators and is laden with related issues, such as quality of life.

Illiteracy and Income

One issue can not be ignored: Is there a relationship between illiteracy and income? Some of the figures at the extremes in the rates of literacy compared to the range of GNP per capita could suggest that there is a correlation.

In the comparison of these figures, as the literacy rate doubles, so doubles the per capita income. The message here, at least in individual economic terms, is that literacy has payoffs and is a worthwhile investment—so it seems.

Illiteracy may mean income loss not only for the individual but for society at large as well. According to the National Adult Literacy Survey, in the US alone, adult illiteracy carries an estimated price tag of more than $17 billion per year as a result of lost income and tax revenue, welfare, unemployment, crime and incarceration, and training cost or business and industry. This could suggest that the price tag for illiteracy at large is more than the cost of literacy.

Usually for literacy to equal a better job, it has to be fluent literacy, accompanied by well-developed writing skills, mathematics, and general knowledge far beyond what is normally acquired in a basic adult literacy class. Secondly, literacy does not necessarily equate wealth.

What literacy can mean for both the individual and society at large is betterment of people's lives—enhanced self-esteem, ability to read instructions on medications and civic documents, ability to learn new things which will help them to expand their knowledge, ability to cope with the majority society, etc. Literacy provides people with the option of becoming members of a self-confident and informed populace that can understand issues, represent themselves, take responsibility for self-improvement and family health, and better participate in civic affairs. These are among the more priceless payoffs of literacy.

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!