“It’s Impossible,” said Pride.
“It’s Risky,” said Experience.
“It’s Pointless,” said Reason.
“Give it a try,” whispered the Heart
Did you know?
Research has found that volunteering is good for you.
“A study by Sara Konrath at the University of Michigan showed that volunteerism predicts a longer life,” Dr. Emma Seppala says. “Interestingly, volunteerism lengthened lives only when the volunteerism was done for selfless reasons.”
The connection isn’t totally clear, but according to Harvard Medical School, volunteering may lower blood pressure, reduce stress, and reduce depression.
Save the Date!
Date: Thursday April 26th
Time: 6 PM – 8 PM
Place: Woods Memorial Church
Severna Park
A fabulous buffet dinner will be followed by a short but exciting program to celebrate our volunteers, students, and our 41st anniversary serving Anne Arundel County.
Please make plans to attend and bring your family/friends with you for a night of fun and celebration!
Great tutor training opportunity!
Our next 2-day tutor training is scheduled for
February 24th and March 3rd
9:00 am to 4:00 pm
Woods Memorial Presbyterian Church in
Severna Park, MD
and will include basic literacy, math, and English Language Learner (ELL) instruction.
We have a class size limit of 35. If you, or someone you know, would be interested in attending this training, please email Lisa Vernon at director@aaclc.org or call 410-269-4419 as soon as possible to reserve a seat.
Saturday, February 24th
9am – noon
Founders Room
Wood’s Memorial Presbyterian Church
Severna Park
This workshop will cover the basics of GED-level algebra for tutors who have not worked with math for a while and would like a refresher. The topics we will cover include: signed numbers, equations with inequalities, systems of equations, and polynomials. If you have one, please bring a calculator (TI-30XS) with you as well.
RSVP to Jane Seiss at jane.seiss@gmail.com or call 410-269-4419 to register for this workshop.
by Janice F. Booth
“This year I got the best Christmas present ever; I got to read to my grandkids.” Reading to his grandchildren is one of many “firsts” for Ray Williams. “My dad, Herbert Scurlock, is bedridden. This Christmas, for the first time, I was able to go over to his house and read [to] him the Christmas card I’d gotten for him.” Ray is determined to turn these “firsts” into regular events. Determination is one of the hallmarks of Ray’s character. [click to continue…]
In the fall of 2016 former Literacy Council student Angel Cleckner was talking with Charlene Renaud, one of her hair styling clients, who confessed that she was unable to read. At Angel’s urging, Charlene contacted the Council for help and was assessed and matched with tutor Bonnie Wright. [click to continue…]
Please save the date!
Our Annual Appreciation Dinner will be held on April 26th this year and we hope that you will make plans to attend. Please join us!
My favorite part of each year’s Appreciation Dinner is always the student testimonies. Our student’s courage and determination to achieve their goals is inspirational and shines through every story that is shared, reminding us of why we do what we do at the Literacy Council. Yes, literacy changes lives, not only for the student, but also for their families and our community.
Please take a moment to meet two of these inspirational students, Charlene Renaud and Ray Williams, who are featured elsewhere in this site. Their determination to improve their reading/writing skills to achieve their life goals is inspirational and a powerful reminder of how low reading skills impacts a person’s day-to-day life.
Kind regards,
Lisa Vernon, Executive DirectorAnne Arundel County Literacy Council
301-523-6750 (cell)
director@aaclc.org
While each of our students is unique, they share a determination to rise above adversity and difficult circumstances to provide a better future for themselves and their families. For example:
- A new student walked almost 2 miles so she could meet her assessor – on time – after her car gave out. She is tired of working for Temp agencies which offer low salaries and no benefits or job security because the companies she works for all have HS diploma requirements for their full-time employees.
- A young man who says he is “finally setting himself free and coming out of the darkness” by admitting that he needs and wants help with his reading and writing skills. His immediate goal is to secure his driver license so that he can apply for better jobs and succeed at taking additional job training.
Please take a moment to “meet” inspirational students Christina Lynch, Jessica Whitehead, and sisters Clara Claggette and Annie Wilkerson, and read the hauntingly beautiful story written by ESL student Yi Yang.
Also, note our spring tutor training information and encourage interested friends and family members to sign up early since seating is limited.
Warmest regards,
Lisa Vernon, Executive Director
Lisa Vernon, Executive Director
Anne Arundel County Literacy Council
301-523-6750 (cell)
director@aaclc.org
