June 2018: Literacyworks in the News

STRAIGHT UP!
A CHARBAY COCKTAIL COMPETITION & BENEFIT FOR LITERACYWORKS

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When: Wednesday, June 6, 2018
Where: Bear Republic Brewery - Lakeside 5000 Roberts Lake Road, Rohnert Park

COMPETITION STARTS at 6 PM  ~  8:30 PM

  • Judge’s Panel & People’s Choice Voting

Bartenders from the following establishments will be creating cocktails with Charbay Blood Orange Vodka, come try all their libations and vote for your favorite!

  • Bear Republic - Lakeside, Rohnert Park
  • Beer Baron, Santa Rosa
  • Crush Italian Steakhouse, Ukiah
  • The Golden Pig, Hopland
  • Gun Club Bar, Geyserville
  • Jackson’s Bar & Oven, Santa Rosa
  • John Ash & Co., Santa Rosa
  • Mario & John’s, Petaluma
  • Perch + Plow, Santa Rosa
  • The Tavern on 4th, San Rafael
  • Ukiah Brewing Company, Ukiah

Thank you to our Judge’s Panel for ‘Straight Up’ 2018!

Scott Beattie
Author of ‘Artisanal Cocktails’
Meadowood Napa Valley

Erika Frey
Private Real Estate Consultant & Cocktail Aficionado
Healdsburg

Brian Griffith
Music Director
KRCB Radio 91, FM
Windsor

Pre-sale tickets $35 per person  Get your tickets here!
($40 at the door / 21 and over only)
Ticket price includes tasting all competitors’ cocktail creations & delicious appetizers

Raffle & Ticket Proceeds to fund Literacyworks Programs in the North Bay

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DANIEL ELLSBERG IN CONVERSATION WITH PETER COYOTE

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Sunday June 10, 2018, 4:00-5:30PM
Petaluma Veterans Memorial Hall, 1094 Petaluma Blvd South, Petaluma

Daniel Ellsberg is an American activist and former United States military analyst who, while employed by the RAND Corporation, precipitated a national political controversy in 1971 when he released the Pentagon Papers, a top-secret Pentagon study of U.S. government decision-making in relation to the Vietnam War, to The New York Times and other newspapers. His new book, “The Doomsday Machine,” is an eyewitness expose of the dangers of America’s top secret, seventy-year-long nuclear policy that continues to this day. Peter Coyote is an accomplished actor, author, director, screenwriter and Emmy award narrator.

Purchase tickets here: https://www.copperfieldsbooks.com/event/ellsberg-coyote

Go to http://www.literacyworks.org/events for the latest speaker list.

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The Center has just completed a successful spring semester working with our Santa Rosa Junior College students.  Staff initiated a new program of interviewing each of our ninety students in an effort to better understand the challenges facing them and develop a clearer view of their goals and aspirations.  The themes running through these sessions included a deep sense of gratitude for the opportunity to continue their education and appreciation for the Center’s support and the fine faculty at the SRJC.  When asked what advice they would give someone just starting college, this diverse group of folks uniformly said versions of ‘Never give up.  Work hard.  Hang in there, it’s worth it.’  We discovered that the October fires impacted our students much more profoundly than we knew.  Students lost their jobs losing weeks of income.  Some dropped out to support their extended families.  One student that is pursuing a certificate in Early Childhood Education lost her apartment, her car and all her family’s possessions.  She is now in a new home and continuing her education. 

This spring, two of our students that started with the Center’s program in Basic Skills classes successfully graduated. One of our students transferred to Sonoma State University.   Another student who struggled in high school, was the first in his family to go to college, and lacked confidence in his ability to succeed in college. He participated in Literacyworks for the three years he attended the SRJC.  This spring he graduated and was accepted to UC Berkeley with a full scholarship. 

Santa Rosa Junior College staff and faculty and their excellent educational programs and extensive support services, deserves tremendous credit for changing lives and creating opportunities.  We at Literacyworks Center appreciate the open and supportive relationship we share with SRJC in our mutual efforts to support individuals in creating their futures.

March 2018: Literacyworks in the News

LITERACYWORKS March 2018

Literacyworks Receives North Bay Fire Relief Fund Grant from Redwood Credit Union Community Fund

The purpose of this grant is to support our students and others in overcoming the obstacles created by the fires and to assist them in staying in school at SRJC. We requested funding to assist our low literacy, low income hard to serve adult students cope with issues created by the recent fire and continue with their college education. We will use this grant for additional workshops in stress management, financial planning, community resources and resource navigation, parenting around trauma, time management, and study skills; provide funding for transportation and childcare in order to help our students overcome their fire related obstacles and stay in school; and to support outreach/assessment efforts to increase our enrollment of low literacy, low income adults impacted by job loss due to the fire by ten or more students. Offering these additional resources is crucial in keeping our students in school. Once a hard to serve student drops out the statistics show very few return.

Our response to the fire was to reach out to our 90 students to understand the impact it had on them, their families, their neighbors and friends. With this information, we have developed a set of actions to mitigate the effects with the goal of keeping them in school and improving their options for employment. Also, our goal is to help others they know who were impacted by opening our workshops and services to their families and friends. The grant will supplement our current efforts.

The North Bay Fire Relief Fund (NBFRF) was created by Redwood Credit Union Community Fund to support the immediate needs of North Bay fire survivors in the four impacted counties of Sonoma, Napa, Mendocino and Lake.

The Fund was created in partnership with The Press Democrat, Senator Mike McGuire and the Redwood Credit Union. 

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2018 Literacyworks Lecture Series

Our new lecture series, Literacyworks and Copperfield’s Books Presents, starts next week with experimental psychologist STEVEN PINKER on Monday, March 12, 2018 at Copperfield’s Petaluma store. Dr. Pinker is an experimental psychologist who conducts research in visual cognition, psycholinguistics, and social relations and writes for publications such as the New York Times, Time and The Atlantic. His current book is “Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress". Purchase Tickets Here: https://www.copperfieldsbooks.com/event/literacyworks-and-copperfields-books-present-steven-pinker

LELAND FAUST is up next on Sunday March 18, 2018 at the Carole L. Ellis Auditorium, Petaluma SRJC campus. Leland founded CSI Capital Management. Since 1978, he and his firm have represented over one hundred NFL, NBA and MLB all stars, as well as many Grammy and Academy award winners. Leland Faust will be speaking on his book, “A Capitalist’s Lament: How Wall Street is Fleecing You and Ruining America.” Purchase Tickets Here: https://www.copperfieldsbooks.com/event/literacyworks-and-copperfields-books-presents-leland-faust

The rest of our speakers booked so far are:

ROBERT REICH IN CONVERSATION WITH LYNN WOOLSEY

Sunday April 8, 2018, Petaluma Veterans Memorial Hall, 3:45-5:00 PM 1094 Petaluma Blvd South, Petaluma
Robert Bernard Reich is an American political commentator, professor, and author. He served in the administrations of Presidents Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, and Bill Clinton. He was Secretary of Labor from 1993 to 1997. His new book, “The Common Good,” is focused on why we must restore the idea of the common good to the center of our economics and politics. Congresswoman Lynn C. Woolsey is a former U.S. Representative for California's 6th congressional district serving Marin County and Sonoma County from 1993 to 2013. Tickets for "Robert Reich in Conversation with Lynn Woolsey" will go on sale Monday, March 12, 2018.

GREG SARRIS

Sunday May 6, 2018, Carole L. Ellis Auditorium, Petaluma SRJC campus
Greg Sarris is an author, screenwriter, producer, scholar, professor and Tribal Chairman of the Federated Indians of the Graton Rancheria. His most recent book, which will be featured at the lecture, is “How a Mountain Was Made: Stories.”

DANIEL ELLSBERG IN CONVERSATION WITH PETER COYOTE

Sunday June 10, 2018, Carole L. Ellis Auditorium, Petaluma SRJC campus
Daniel Ellsberg is an American activist and former United States military analyst who, while employed by the RAND Corporation, precipitated a national political controversy in 1971 when he released the Pentagon Papers, a top-secret Pentagon study of U.S. government decision-making in relation to the Vietnam War, to The New York Times and other newspapers. His new book, “The Doomsday Machine,” is an eyewitness expose of the dangers of America’s top secret, seventy-year-long nuclear policy that continues to this day. Peter Coyote is an accomplished actor, author, director, screenwriter and Emmy award narrator.

ISABEL ALLENDE IN CONVERSATION WITH MICHAEL KRASNY

July 2018 (tentative date), Carole L. Ellis Auditorium, Petaluma SRJC campus
Chilean author Isabel Allende won worldwide acclaim when her bestselling first novel, "The House of the Spirits", was published in 1982. Since then, she has written 22 more works. Allende’s books, all written in her native Spanish, have been translated into 35 languages and have sold nearly 70 million copies. Michael Krasny is the host of KQED’s “Forum” program as well as a renowned author and educator.

Go to http://www.literacyworks.org/events for the latest speaker list.

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PARENTS AS FIRST TEACHERS

Literacyworks Parents as First Teachers: Engaging Families to Increase Children's Literacy program works with low-literacy, low-income bilingual parents and children by training parents in the basic skills to encourage their children to become avid readers and writers. The goal is to help parents view their parenting role in a positive manner, have appropriate expectations of their children's achievements, prepare their children with the necessary skills to be successful in school, and establish and maintain positive relations with community resources, including libraries, schools, and community groups. Workshops are held throughout Sonoma county and the North Bay. We have two successful workshops under our belt so far with two more planned through summer.

 

September 2017: Literacyworks in the News

Ambassador Theodore “Ted” Eliot Jr. is our next Speaker

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We are pleased to announce an afternoon with special guest Ambassador Theodore “Ted” Eliot Jr. (ret.). Ambassador Eliot served in the American Embassy in Moscow in the mid-‘50s at the height of the Cold War; in the American Embassy in Tehran the mid-1960s and for four and one-half years as Ambassador to Afghanistan. He then became Inspector General of the State Department. He was named Dean of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.

Date:      Sunday, December 3rd, 2017
Time:      3:45 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Place:     Santa Rosa Junior College Petaluma campus (Carole L. Ellis Auditorium)
Address: 680 Sonoma Mountain Parkway Petaluma, CA, 94954

This fundraiser will support low literacy, low income, highly motivated adults in the North Bay to access community college and technical education programs by providing scholarships, advising and support.

General Admission: $25. Seniors: $20. Free for students.
For tickets go to: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/3073558
For questions, go to www.literacyworks.org/events
or
Call Rita at Literacyworks: 707-981-8086
For more information email info@literacyworks.org.

MICHAEL KRASNY LITERACYWORKS LECTURES EVENT Well Received!

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Dr. Krasny gave a well received lecture on the state of US education to a large crowd on Sunday, August 20, 2017 at the Santa Rosa Junior College Petaluma campus (Carole L. Ellis Auditorium).

Thanks to our sponsors, volunteers, and supporters in making Literacyworks Lectures a success! 

Photo: SRJC President Frank Chong, Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey, Michael Krasny at lecture.

LiterACYWORKS RECEIVES FAMILY READING GRANT

Literacyworks received $50,000 from the Sonoma Wine Country Auction Fund the Future grant (through Community Foundation Sonoma County) competition for our project, Parents as First Teachers: Engaging Families to Increase Children's Literacy at the Literacyworks Center.

This pilot program's goal is to improve the literacy skills of our Center's bilingual parents and children through a combination of access to resources in the home and the community and by training parents in the basic skills to encourage their children to become avid readers. The goal is to help our parents view their parenting role in a positive manner, have appropriate expectations of their children's achievements and establish and maintain positive relations with community resources, including libraries, schools, and community groups.

Literacyworks has been an early adopter in believing that children’s first teachers are their parents. We work with educational and literacy programs, including family literacy programs that serve children under 5, in libraries and community based organizations, throughout California and the Nation.

Because children develop reading and writing skills as they grow, family literacy takes place during daily routines in life as parents, children, and family members use literacy at home and in their community.

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Fall Semester Begins with 88 Literacyworks Center Students Enrolled in Classes

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In our efforts to further support our students, staff conducted a workshop on the Petaluma Campus of the JC on the Sunday before classes started. It was well attended and students were engaged and excited about the upcoming semester. As our students attend college for a number of semesters and started taking more classes, it is clear they are more relaxed and engaged in the campus community. The focus of the workshop was assisting students in accessing their personal information on the college’s on-line portal. We also discussed the importance of working with the college’s counseling faculty and developing an Education Plan. Immediately after the workshop, students were invited to attend the Center’s speaker series. Michael Krasny was the featured speaker and the topic of his talk was appropriately focused on education.

Featured Student: Imelda Macia

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Imelda Macias was our student speaker at the Michael Krasny lecture. She is a mother of 5 and a grandmother attending SRJC Petaluma. Her goals include learning English and eventually becoming a nurse so she can give back to her community. As she spoke it was increasing evident that Imelda had much to offer all of us. Her selfless, altruistic nature shows through her words, smile and intentions. Each of our students has a unique story. Imelda’s was an inspiration to the entire audience. She ended quoting poet Maya Angelou: 

"Courage is the most important of all the virtues, because without courage you can't practice any other virtue consistently. You can practice any virtue erratically, but nothing consistently without courage."

Blimey! It's September Facts!

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September 8: International Literacy Day calls attention to the global need to increase access to children's books in the home and provide ways for families to build home libraries and encourage their kids to become lifelong readers

September 19: Talk Like a Pirate Day celebrates the history and speech from the Golden Age of Pirates. 

September 22: Native American Day celebrated

September is: Hispanic Heritage Month, National Courtesy Month, and Chicken Month

September 14, 1741: Composer George Frederick Handel finished Messiah after working on it nonstop for 23 days.

September 9, 1776: The United States came into existence as the Continental Congress changed the name of the new American nation from the United Colonies.

September 3, 1833: The New York Sun newspaper first appeared, marking the beginning of the 'penny press,' inexpensive newspapers sold on sidewalks by newspaper boys. The paper focused on human interest stories and sensationalism and by 1836 was the largest seller in America with a circulation of 30,000

September 1, 1875: Edgar Rice Burroughs (1875-1950) (Tarzan of the Apes, John Carter of Mars, At the Earth's Core) was born in Chicago. Before becoming a novelist, he was as a correspondent for the Los Angeles Times

 

July 2017 Literacyworks In The News

Literacyworks Lectures Presents
Michael Krasny Speaking on Education and Democracy

Micheal Krasney

We are pleased to announce an afternoon with special guest Michael Krasny. Dr. Krasny, PhD is host of the award-winning KQED FORUM, a program discussing news and public affairs, current events, culture, health, business and technology. He has published a great deal of fiction, literary criticism and political commentary. A professor of English at San Francisco State University, he has been Visiting Professor at the University of San Francisco, Adjunct Professor at the University of California San Francisco and taught in Continuing Education at Stanford University, as well as being an Associate of the San Francisco Urban Institute. He lives in Marin County.

Date:           Sunday, August 20, 2017
Time:          3:45 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Place:         Santa Rosa Junior College Petaluma campus (Carole L. Ellis Auditorium)
Address:    680 Sonoma Mountain Parkway Petaluma, CA, 94954

This timely event for the Literacyworks Center will feature a Center student, community partners and keynote speaker Michael Krasny.

This fundraiser will support low literacy, low income, highly motivated adults in the North Bay to access community college and technical education programs by providing scholarships, advising and support.

General Admission: $25. Seniors: $20. Free for students.

Please send an email to Rita at rita@literacyworks.org with you and your guest’s names
so we can put them on our Will Call list
or  
Go to Brown Paper Tickets at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/3008137 to purchase tickets

For questions, go to www.literacyworks.org/events or Call Rita at Literacyworks: 707-981-8086

For more information email info@literacyworks.org.

2017 LITERACYWORKS LECTURE SERIES

Our first Literacyworks Lecture took place in October 2016, with actor, author and speaker Peter Coyote. It was such a success, both as a fundraiser and a community learning experience, that we decided to expand in 2017 with a series of three lectures.

  • June 11, 2017:  Brian Fishman - counterterrorism expert, author and lecturer
  • August 20, 2017:  Michael Krasny - author, professor and host of KQED Forum
  • November, 2017: Possible speakers include:

o   Tom Steyer, philanthropist and environmentalist
o   Richard Riley, United States Secretary of Education and 111th Governor of South Carolina

Go to www.literacyworks.org/events for more information.

Literacyworks Center Activities and Accomplishments 

Literacyworks Center had its most successful year to date. The Center supported 85 students in the fall semester and 91 in the spring. We continue to maintain a wait list of qualified students.  The maximum number of students the Center can serve is based upon total funding available for scholarships.

The Center’s goal, to achieve the highest course completion and persistence rates possible, is being achieved since we averaged a success rate of over 90% for this past year, well above other college programs serving similar students. The Center is making a commitment to all the students we serve for as long as they stay enrolled or until they attain their academic goals.

JULY FACTS

Neil Armstrong first steps on the Moon shown live on TV

Neil Armstrong first steps on the Moon shown live on TV

July 20th Moon Day: Commemorates the day man first walked on the moon in 1969.

The Apollo Space program, begun by President John F. Kennedy, was created to put the first man on the moon. Apollo 11 fulfilled that dream, carrying astronauts Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Edwin Aldrin, Jr. What an amazing and historic event it was! On July 16, 1969, Apollo 11 was launched from Cape Kennedy Space Center atop a huge Saturn V rocket. On July 20, 1969, the Lunar Module, nicknamed the "Eagle", touched down on the surface of the moon at Tranquility Base. Upon landing, Apollo 11 Commander Neil Armstrong reported "The Eagle Has Landed". A few hours later, Neil Armstrong, stepped off of the Eagle's ladder, placed one foot upon the moon's surface and proclaimed: "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind".

  • The birthstone for July is the Ruby.
  • The birth flower for July is the water lily.
  • The month of July was named after Julius Caesar.
  • National Blueberry Month
  • National Ice Cream Month
  • National Hot Dog Month

 

Literacyworks in the News: December 2016

Literacyworks 2016 Wrap 

Happy Holidays from the Literacyworks Staff!
 

Literacyworks staff and participants have had a fabulous year. We once again (is this starting a tradition?) offer our own Literacyworks “Top Ten List” (in no particular order) of all the great things that happened in 2016 and a few for which we're grateful.

Let the countdown begin!

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#10. LINCS Region 4 Regional Professional Development Center: After 21 years of successful professional development training for the US Department of Education, our LINCS Region 4 Professional Development Center grant ended in September. This final year we conducted over 28 trainings events in 12 states for 621 adult educators, which translated into 4,404 hours of training. As we say goodbye to the RPDC4, we say hello to new business, Literacyworks Professional Development. We are providing professional development opportunities to ABE and ESL professionals with access to over 130 researched-based ABE and ESL PD workshops and with over 40 National Subject Matter Expert trainers in adult education and literacy topics.

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 #9. The Literacyworks Center: The Center had a total of 162 students participate in the program in 2016. We handed out the Adult Literacy Award (thank you anonymous family foundation) to all our students, administered through the Santa Rosa JC Scholarship Programs office. To date, the Center has a less than 10% student dropout rate compared to a historically 60% dropout rate for this at-risk population at community colleges. This demonstration project is proving that we can make a difference in keeping low income, highly motivated adults stay in school and become career and college ready.

#8. Peter Coyote, actor, author, director, screenwriter narrator and Literacyworks honorary board member, was the keynote speaker at our Peter Coyote Fundraising Event on Sunday, October 2nd, 2016 on Santa Rosa Junior College's Petaluma Campus in the Carole L. Ellis Auditorium. Big thanks to our staff, students, volunteers and many sponsors who made this fundraising event inspiring and profitable. 

#7. Literacyworks Board: We sincerely appreciate the support and wisdom of our Literacyworks Board: Elizabeth Howland, President, Eric Backman, Secretary, William Soper, Treasurer, Jeff Asher, Amy Critchett, and Gloria Cruz McCallister

#6. Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey: Lynn is our Literacyworks Center founder/partner and Honorary Board Chairperson. She continues to be our biggest supporter.

#5. Founding Friends of the Center, the Friends of the Literacyworks Center and Program Partners: Again this year, many people and organizations helped to make Literacyworks and the Center successful including the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria, Santa Rosa Junior College, Center Point, North Bay Children’s Center, West Marin Community Services (Pt. Reyes Station), and our Center donors, both individuals and organizations, including Codding Foundation, Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria, Marin Community Foundation, Clover Stornetta Farms, AT&T, Xandex, Jackson Family Wines, The W Foundation, Sobel Communications, Bank of Marin, WestAmerica Bank and Schwab Charitable Giving.

#4. SRJC: The Petaluma Campus staff and administration have been very supportive of the Center with particular thanks to Jane Saldana-Talley, Vice President, Petaluma Campus, whose assistance was and is invaluable, Matthew Long, Dean of Student Services, Catherine Williams, Dean of Instruction and Enrollment Management, and Yesenia Rodarte-Hurtado, ELL Outreach Coordinator. The SRJC Santa Rosa campus staff has been great to work with also. Thanks to President/Superintendent Frank Chong, Rachael Cutcher, SRJC Manager of Scholarship Programs, Dean Cathy Prince, Instruction & Strategic Program Development and the Hispanic Serving Institution programs, and Enedina Vera, HEP recruiter.

#3. Our Center participants: 162 of our adult students received our Adult Literacy Awards to assist them in school and have enrolled to date. Many more are scheduled to sign-on in the Spring Semester 2017. Also, high-fives to our volunteer tutors who will start helping our students succeed with one-to-one tutoring in 2016. We held our first workshops and attended the SRJC Circle of Honor where our students came with family and friends.

#2. Staff: Thanks to our talented Center staff: Chris Schultz and Rita Sorpranith and Literacyworks staff Kelin Backman, Marty Ferrini, and Lisa Thompson.

#1. You: We are mostly grateful for all the Literacyworks supporters, both anonymous and public, and particularly you!

Literacyworks is helping underprivileged and underrepresented adults secure better jobs, become better parents, and contribute more to their community. Thanks for all your support this year and next.

Paul Heavenridge
Executive Director
http://literacyworks.org
http://literacyworkscenter.org
http://www.literacyworkspd.org

P.S.  Today, we launched our 2016 Year-End Campaign. Our goal is to raise $25,000 in order to keep receiving the donor’s scholarship funding by matching it with funding for staff and operations.  This will allow us to reach our goal of to help 200 motivated low-income low literacy adults get on our program in 2017.  We can’t do it without your help.  Will you make a gift?  To make your donation now, go to http://www.literacyworks.org/donate or contact Rita at rita@literacyworks.org to be mailed a remittance envelope.

Literacyworks in News: November 2016

Peter Coyote Event a Success! 

Peter Coyote speaking on the importance of literacy.

Peter Coyote speaking on the importance of literacy.

Peter Coyote, actor, author, director, screenwriter and narrator of films, theatre, television and audiobooks, gave an inspiring talk on Sunday October 2nd in the Carole L. Ellis Auditorium on the Santa Rosa Junior College Petaluma campus.

With over 150 attendees, this event supported our low literacy, low income adults in their quest to acquire basic skills so they can access and complete college programs.

Before Peter spoke, Dr. Jane Saldaña-Talley, Vice President of SRJC Petaluma welcomed the crowd followed by remarks by SRJC President/Superintendent Dr. Frank Chong, Literacyworks Honorary Board Chair Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey, Literacyworks Executive Director Paul Heavenridge, and Chris Schultz, Literacyworks Center Director. Our featured student speakers were David Bowen-Farwell from Center Point and Rebeca Gutierrez formally of North Bay Children's Center. Thanks to our Friends of the Center, our Board, volunteers and to all our sponsors for helping make this event a success! Click here for our sponsor list.

Literacyworks Center Featured in Argus-Courier Article 

Rebeca Gutierrez Center Student at SRJC

The article Promoting a path to Scholastic Success: Petaluma Literacyworks Center links Adult Students with Services appeared in the Argus-Courier on 9/22/2016 featuring the Center and one of our students, Petaluman Rebeca Gutierrez. Rebeca has struggled in working on a degree in child development at SRJC while raising her two sons. She credits The Center with helping her remain in the program and achieve success by providing her with our Adult Literacy Award funding and guidance by the Literacyworks Center staff.

To read the full article, click on this Argus-Courier link.

November in History

Mark Twain

November was the ninth month of the ancient Roman calendar. November retained its name (from the Latin novem meaning "nine") when January and February were added to the Roman calendar. November is a month of spring in the Southern Hemisphere and autumn in the Northern Hemisphere.

  • There is no mention of the month of November in any of Shakespeare's plays or sonnets.
  • November 2 is the only date on which two US presidents were born: Warren Harding (born 1865) and James Polk (1795).
  • Gettysburg Address delivered by Abraham Lincoln on November 19, 1863.
  • November has been designated National Novel Writing Month and National Blog Posting Month. Always wanted to write a novel? Do it. And do it during the month of November. Add your name at www.nanowrimo.org and commit to writing one 50,000-word novel from scratch. You officially start writing at 12:00:01 am on November 1 and write your last word by 11:59:59 pm on November 30.
  • Mark Twain was born on November 30, 1835. He said: "Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter". 

Also remember: this is Donate to Literacyworks Month :-)

Literacyworks in the News: September 2016

Literacyworks Center Students at Circle of Honor

Our Fall 2016 Adult Literacy Award Center students, staff, and supporters attend the Circle of Honor on Wednesday, August 17th, 2016 at the Santa Rosa Junior College with Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey Literacyworks Board Honorary Chairperson and Literacyworks Center co-founder.

Circle of Honor Literacyworks Center w/ Lynn Woolsey
Honoring the generosity of SRJC donors and dedication of SRJC students, the Circle of Honor provides an opportunity for donors to learn more about the educational goals of their student recipients, and for students to express appreciation for their scholarship award.

What is the Literacyworks Center? 

  • The Center is a project of Literacyworks, an educational non-profit.
  • The Center assists low literacy, low income, highly motivated adults in the North Bay to become career and college ready.
  • The Literacyworks Center helps students succeed by providing scholarships, counseling and support.
  • The Center is a cutting edge, innovative, research-based demonstration program.
  • The Center works with community partners who identify and refer motivated adults.
  • To date, the Center has a less than 10% student dropout rate compared to a historically 60% dropout rate for this at-risk population at community colleges.

Learning is power. Information is liberating. Education is progress.

The Center is transforming lives through literacy; creating opportunities; and strengthening families and communities

Literacyworks Benefit with Peter Coyote

Literacyworks is having a benefit with special guest Peter Coyote, actor, author, director, screenwriter and narrator of films, theatre, television and audiobooks, on Sunday October 2nd in the Carole L. Ellis Auditorium on the Santa Rosa Junior College Petaluma campus from 3p.m. to 5p.m.

FOR TICKETS FOR GENERAL ADMISSION AND SPONSORSHIPS GO TO BROWN PAPER TICKETS.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT RITA AT (707) 981-8086 OR INFO@LITERACYWORKS.ORG.

 

This Month in September

September 9, 1776     The U.S.A. came into existence as the Continental Congress changed the name of the new American nation from the United Colonies to the United States
September 9, 1850     California became the 31st state
September 19, 1893    New Zealand became the first country to grant women the right to vote
September 25, 1897   Birth of William Faulkner (1897-1962), considered by many the greatest U.S. author
September 8, 1966     Star Trek premiered on television

"My favorite poem is the one that starts ‘Thirty days hath September’ because it actually tells you something” - Groucho Marx

June 2016 News: Congressional Acknowledgement and Center Retrospective on Year One

Certificate of Special Recognition

Last October, Literacyworks received a special Congressional recognition by Congressman Jared Huffman on the opening of our new Santa Rosa Junior College Center classroom saying: “Your collective work to ensure that all individuals have the skills, support and opportunities to thrive in a complex and inter-connected world through literacy is making a positive difference in many, many lives. Thank you for your effective programs and generosity of spirit, and congratulations on your grand opening.”

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Literacyworks Center News

As the spring 2016 semester comes to an end and Literacyworks Center completes its first year of operation, we have served 76 successful students. Our participants are taking ESL classes, English and GED classes and many are focusing on Early Childhood Education classes. This amazing group of individuals is redefining themselves and their future through education. It is humbling to work with these motivated folks facing significant challenges who now are doing what it will take to improve their literacy skills so they can improve their career opportunities. Some are taking only one class and taking full advantage of Santa Rosa Junior College’s support services, such as tutoring, computer labs and counseling services.

The Center’s focus has moved from working with our referral partners to identify motivated adults who qualify for our program, to an emphasis on persistence and success. Much of the staff’s efforts will be directed in individual and small group support to ensure all our students succeed.

The retention rate in community college for individuals with low literacy skills is only 40%. All of our students have stayed in school and completed their coursework this semester. We are looking forward to serving more students in the 2016 fall semester and assisting them in reaching their educational goals.

Story

Chris Schultz, Literacyworks Center Director

Iconic painting of the Tomales Town Hall by local artist Kathryn LeMieux

Iconic painting of the Tomales Town Hall by local artist Kathryn LeMieux

It was a breezy early evening on a Friday night when the staff of Literacyworks Center arrived in the town of Tomales on the northern edge of Marin County along the coast. Cristina, a community advocate from Tomales Elementary School, met us with open arms and a bright smile. She, with the help of the West Marin Community Services, the Point Reyes Library Branch Manager Bonny White and the Marin Community Foundation helped make this evening possible. We met and spoke to 12 adults interested in joining our program in the fall. Many of their children were present to share in the presentation. After many questions and a fair amount of translation, we had signed up all 12. The sense of gratitude, excitement, possibility was palpable as we packed up to head back to Petaluma. These motivated individuals were willing to embark on a somewhat intimidating education experience to learn English so they can read to their children, participate in society more effectively and talk to their boss on the ranches where they work. A good day's work.

Student Voices

Here are a few examples of how grateful our students are for the support the Literacyworks Center is providing them. All these quotes are from letters written to us this year:

‘I would like to express my deepest appreciation to you for your financial support, through the Literacyworks program. I am a single mom of two and I care for my grandma too while working full time as a preschool teacher. Because of your caring and generosity am able to attend Santa Rosa JC and accomplish my dream of obtaining a college degree. So on behalf of my family and I, thank you.’
'I want to thank you. The Literacyworks award means more than you will ever know. It shows me that someone else believes that I can and will succeed, and gives me much encouragement to keep pressing forward with my education. It’s people like you that keep young people like me working hard because we know that someone is ready and willing to invest in our future.’
‘My goal is to pay it forward and offer help to someone who will be in my shoes in the future and bring them as much joy as you brought me. Bless your heart and thanks again.’
‘I am a single mom. I want to study Child Development with the goal of working as a teacher’s aid. The financial aspect of attending college on one income was starting to make me reconsider my choice. The award you donated will eliminate that burden and allow me to continue on and finish my degree. Thank you. I will always be grateful.’

June in the News

  • Fly a Kite Day: Ben Franklin's Kite Experiment happened on June 15, 1752. 
  • Sand Paper invented by I. Fischer Jr. on June 14, 1834.
  • Typewriter patented by Christopher Latham Sholes, a Milwaukee printer whose first “type-writer” was patented in June 23, 1868.
  • Caldecott Medal first awarded In June 14, 1938.
  • First U.S. Space Walk by Ed White on June 3, 1965.
  • World Egg Day June 10. The first World Egg Day was celebrated in 1996.