NEWSLETTER FROM LITERACY CONNECTS / SPRING 2015
Literacy Connections
Your support creates lifelong learners
“Tata, read a book to me.”
Like a lot of adults, Eli had kept secret his
inability to read. He got good at memorizing
directions and doing daily tasks in a routine
way. But once he started working with
Ginger, he told his supervisors, then his
co-workers and the rest of the staff at TMC.
He’s glad he did. “Every one of them has
encouraged me,” Eli says.
It was a simple request, but Eli Hawley
couldn’t read a children’s book to his 4-yearold granddaughter. Eli decided then that it
was time to go back to school.
Now, after two years of working together, Eli
and Adult Basic Literacy tutor Ginger Heald
are amazed and gratified at how far Eli has
come.
“I consider myself the luckiest man on earth
because I’m reading,” Eli says. “I just wanted
to be like everyone else.”
Eli and Ginger have been meeting for twiceweekly tutoring sessions at the DusenberryRiver Branch of the Pima County Public
Library since February 2013. During that
time, Eli has gone from having extremely
limited reading skills to being able to read
for others in public. His new skills helped
him gain a promotion at work.
“My greatest reward has been watching Eli’s
self-confidence grow in leaps and bounds,
to the point where he was able to stretch
himself to apply for and interview for a
higher-level job and to achieve success after
he was given the opportunity,” Ginger says.
“I am so proud.”
Eli has worked for 21 years at Tucson
Medical Center. He started working in the
cafeteria, then the laundry. A year ago, he
applied for a new job sterilizing equipment.
“TMC wants their workers to prosper,” Eli
says. “That support gave me that extra push
to apply.”
Eli and Ginger worked hard to prepare
Eli for the interview, studying a catalog of
surgical instrument names and identifying
other words he would need to know. The
hiring supervisor was so impressed with
Eli’s motivation to improve himself that Eli
got the position.
He also gets encouragement from other
patrons at the library who offer frequent
“thumbs up” while they are working.
Eli Hawley and Ginger Heald
YOU MAKE IT HAPPEN
“Eli loves the attention and encouragement
each one offers,” Ginger says. “It truly
provides motivation for us to keep going.”
Literacy Connects is a truly grassroots
organization. Dedicated volunteers and
the financial support of a most generous
community make all of this possible.
With Ginger’s help, Eli got a library card and
regularly checks out books. They work on
reading, letter writing, worksheets and word
games during their sessions. They recently
concentrated on Black History Month.
When a reluctant young reader who
sits in the back of the classroom starts
to participate and raise his hand, the
trajectory of his life is changed.
“I never had the pleasure of learning about
Rosa Parks in school,” says Eli, who quit
elementary school to help his family by
working in the cotton fields in Marana.
When adult learners are comfortable
with books, have books in their home,
read to their children and can help with
homework, entire families are lifted up.
Learning to read and write as an adult takes
time and grit. Ginger and Eli have had their
ups and downs, but they always find a way
to persevere.
Your support changes lives.
Please give.
“Eli and I have made a commitment to each
other and we both are determined to hold
up our end of the deal,” Ginger says. “I vary
the lessons so we come at learning with
several different approaches. What works
one day may not work well the next. My real
motivation is knowing that Eli is motivated,
that he wants to learn, that he shows up at
the library on time and ready to work.”
At TMC, Eli’s success is a source of pride. As
an employer invested in employees’ success,
TMC has given Eli the flexibility to meet
with his tutor every week. “I couldn’t ask for
better people to work with,” Eli says.
Eli also volunteers by reading to patients
in the children’s unit. The first time, he
practiced with Ginger first to make sure
he could do it. His reading of “Green Eggs
and Ham” was a hit. “It felt so good I didn’t
believe I did it myself,” Eli says.
Eli is committed to continuing his learning.
Someday, he would like to get his GED.
“If I’m not too old to learn how to read, I’m
not too old to go to college,” says Eli, who is
55. “I’ve come a long way.”
Community
support opens
many doors
Successful educational
attainment requires strong
literacy skills.
Thanks to you, thousands
of adults and children
have worked with Literacy
Connects’ trained tutors and
coaches in the last quarter
and have increased their skills. Thanks to you,
hundreds of children have experienced the power
of both stories and of their own voices through
the written word. Thanks to you, thousands of
children and their parents have received a free
book and have had reading prescribed by their
doctor.
The need is huge, but through your support you
are making a real difference for children and
adults right here in Tucson. On their behalf –
thank you!
Beyond skills, the children and adults in our
programs experience that learning is fun! In this
era of test-centered education, the programs of
Literacy Connects put the joy back in learning.
Because all of our work is delivered either oneto-one or in very small groups, we are able to
offer individualized learning based on students’
interests and goals – not just as preparation for
a test. Therefore, lessons are relevant and alive
and the “love of learning” door is opened! This
puts students on track for academic and lifelong
success.
With literacy skills and the love of learning come
power. The power to dream. The power to believe
in one’s future. The power and the building blocks
to succeed in school and in life.
You as a community member are the engine
behind this work!
Individuals, businesses and private foundations
provide the volunteers and the dollars, not the
government. With each gift of support, you
decide each year just how many adults and
children will get the opportunity to open that
door to the love of learning.
Thank you for your past support. Let’s open many
more doors in 2015!
Betty Stauffer
Executive Director, Literacy Connects
Program News
REACH OUT AND READ SOUTHERN ARIZONA
Reach Out and Read Southern Arizona is growing, with 60 clinics in three
Southern Arizona Counties. New clinics include La Cholla Family Practice in
Tucson, Copper Queen Medical Associates in Bisbee and Palominas, and Sierra
Vista Medical Group and Raymond W. Bliss Army Health Center in Sierra Vista.
Our clinics are helping increase public awareness of the importance of early
childhood development and literacy, and they do this through the conversations
with families. Doctors report the biggest change they see is that parents report
reading more often to their children and say reading aloud is a favorite activity.
READING SEED
Recent analysis of program data from the 2013-2014 school year has confirmed
that students participating in Reading Seed make significantly greater learning
gains in reading! On average, enrolled students in first through third grade
showed 30% greater gains in assessed literacy skills than students who did not
participate in the Reading Seed program. For kindergarten students the impact
was even more significant. Enrolled kindergarten students showed 70% greater
gains than those in the comparison group. Plans are in the works for the 20152016 school year to begin a focused kindergarten program that will build upon
the program’s current success and maximize the impact of program resources.
STORIES THAT SOAR!
StoryShare, our K-12 curriculum, has expanded out of the classroom this
semester with new out-of-school-time residencies at the Roy Drachman Boys
& Girls Clubs, Los Niños Elementary School and at Mission Manor as part of
Sunnyside’s School District’s 21st Century grant. Our new STS! High program
is soaring at Desert View High School, where drama students are experiencing
the hard work and responsibility involved in transforming the stories of Summit
View Elementary students into a theatrical production that honors the genuine
voice of the young authors. This year’s Best of Stories that Soar! show is coming
up May 17 at the Temple of Music and Art.
ADULT BASIC LITERACY
Our Pima Community College Adult Education collaboration is expanding to
better meet the needs of students. Soon Literacy Connects will be providing
one class at each of their three learning centers for low-level students who need
more basic literacy skills before going on to GED testing, job training or other
Pima Community College programs. The partnership to help Pima County
Wastewater Reclamation employees toward their certification requirements
wrapped up successfully, and we are exploring further income-generating
partnerships with this and other departments to support their employees’
learning needs.
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ACQUISITION FOR ADULTS
English language classes are in full swing, with more than 1,280 adults enrolled
to date in 45 classes at libraries, churches and schools throughout Tucson.
Our classes, which are free, conveniently located and do not require testing or
documentation, fill a critical niche for refugees and immigrants who need to
learn English. Despite our wide reach, many students can’t attend regular classes.
With grant support from the Zuckerman Foundation, we are piloting a training
in April for community partners whose volunteers provide one-on-one and
small-group tutoring to low-literacy refugees, often in their homes. The training
will provide volunteers with effective teaching methods and resources, as well as
follow-up support through a monthly brown-bag tutor support/resource group.
For more on our programs, please visit www.literacyconnects.org.
Is an investment in literacy
part of your estate plan?
As an adult literacy tutor for two and a half years, Arlene
Stigen knows the impact that one person can make. As a donor
who has included Literacy Connects in her estate planning, she
knows she has the opportunity to reach many more.
You Can Help!
ARIZONA GIVES DAY APRIL 7
Arizona
Gives Day is
a statewide
24-hour
online giving
experience that
unites Arizonans
around causes
they believe in. This event acts as a vehicle for
nonprofits to generate new revenue, engage new
donors, and educate the public about the value of
programs that make Arizona a better place to live.
Whether you give $1 or $10,000, your donation
combined with thousands of others can make an
enormous impact! Thank you for remembering
Literacy Connects on Arizona Gives Day!
BECOME A VOLUNTEER
Do you have time and talent to share? Literacy
Connects has many ways for you to be involved:
● help children learn to read
● help adults read, write and speak English
● help clean gently used books
● hold a book drive at your church or civic group
● provide handyman work, landscape
maintenance or general office assistance
Get started by attending a Literacy Connects
Orientation. Look for upcoming dates on our
website or contact Daniel Armenta at darmenta@
literacyconnects.org.
MAKE A DONATION
Use the enclosed remittance envelope to make
your gift to Literacy Connects, or donate online!
Look for the red GIVE NOW button on our
website, www.literacyconnects.org.
“There are lots of places that can use my money,” she says. “But
I want to know that my money is doing something important.
In terms of impact on society and families, literacy is right up
there.”
Stigen
A retired accountant who gives regularly to a number of nonprofits, Stigen’s
main causes are the environment and literacy. In naming both Literacy Connects
and a well-known environmental organization as her beneficiaries on certain
investments she has made, she will leave two gifts that complement each other:
one taking care of the planet, the other taking care of the people on it.
Stigen sees the connection between literacy and the various other causes she
supports.
“Without literacy, people can’t understand the problems we face,” she says. “In
terms of the environment, social justice and equality, we need enough of us to tip
the balance.”
Leaving a legacy to Literacy Connects doesn’t require a huge gift or any
complicated paperwork. It can be as simple as naming Literacy Connects as a
beneficiary of a savings account, IRA or other investment.
“There’s no drawback to me,” says Stigen. “If there’s money left at the end of my
life, at least I know it will go to an organization I support. I know my money will
go where I want it to go.”
In addressing the challenges of literacy at various ages and stages of life, Stigen
says Literacy Connects has a mission worth supporting. “Literacy Connects is so
great with its five different programs and five different ways to help people,” she
says.
Even though she preferred working with adult students herself, she appreciates
Literacy Connects’ children’s programs as well. “It’s nice to know that other
people are working with other populations.”
Let us know if you wish to include Literacy Connects in your estate planning. We
want to know more about you and the impact you’d like your legacy to make.
YOUR IMPACT
For more information on how your gift
contributes to Literacy Connects’ funding,
program impact and support to learners of
all ages in Southern Arizona, please read
the 2013-2014 Impact Report.
You’ll find it under the About Us section of
our website, www.literacyconnects.org.
NONPROFIT ORG
US POSTAGE
PAID
TUCSON AZ
PERMIT 76
LITERACY CONNECTS
200 E. YAVAPAI ROAD
TUCSON, AZ 85705
Connecting people
of all ages to a world
of opportunities through
literacy and creative
expression.
LITERACYCONNECTS.ORG
(520) 882-8006
VOLUNTEER IMPACT
STUDENT IMPACT
FUNDER IMPACT
Since becoming
an Adult
Basic Literacy
student in 2011,
Charles Barlow
has developed
a passion for
learning and for books. When
we moved into our new facility
in August, Charles discovered a
new passion: making sure books
are available for other students
who need them. He’s become a
critical volunteer in cleaning and
restocking our free book area.
“Our son had trouble grasping reading
and would score below grade level on the
DIBELS tests at school. We worked with
him at home, and he seemed to be getting
it, but when it came to testing, his scores
showed otherwise. .... We still had to sign
the paper saying he was reading below
grade level.
“Creating an environment
of literacy is critical to
improving our community,
and it must be addressed
at all age levels. The ability
to read and to understand
will dictate the success
a student has in school and will enhance
an individual’s employment opportunities.
Literacy is a basic requirement for every job.
The Tucson Festival of Books is a celebration
of reading and literacy and not only provides
needed funding for literacy programs but
also helps develop a culture of literacy in our
community.”
– Bruce Beach,
chairman and CEO, BeachFleischman PC,
and founder, Tucson Festival of Books
“From sorting books to setting
up materials for our Friday book
cleanings to helping tutors find
books they need, Charles has
helped increase the number
of books we can give away,”
says library coordinator Violet
Kennedy. It also benefits Charles,
whose continued exposure to
books of all types encourages him
to read more widely.
In first grade (last year) his teacher
suggested he start working with a
Reading Seed coach to help him improve
his reading skills during the second half
of the school year. He loved his coach.
He got to bring home free books and
little rewards for reading at home. And
when he read at home, there was a huge
difference. He was actually reading full
sentences and comprehending what the
story was about. His test scores improved
dramatically, and this year we didn’t have
to sign that paper for the first time.
I almost cried.
I believe his progress was a direct result of
the Reading Seed program.”
– Angela Pittenger
Since its inception in 2009, the Tucson
Festival of Books has contributed $1,050,000
to local literacy programs. The festival was
founded by Bill Viner, president; Frank Farias
and John M. Humenik, vice presidents; Bruce
Beach, treasurer; and Brenda Viner, secretary.
As the primary beneficiary, Literacy Connects
is grateful for the ongoing partnership with
the festival. Thank you!