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Annual Report 2015–2016
New Citizens Celebrated at Donor Event
resident Judge Chad F. Kenney has the esteemed honor of regularly presiding
over Naturalization Ceremonies at the Delaware County Courthouse in Media,
Pennsylvania.
But the hard work of becoming a citizen still impresses him. Speaking at the
Literacy Council’s Donor Coffee Reception in March 2016, President Judge
Kenney described the “aha moments” that happen when a teacher helps a student
open up a new world of understanding. He marveled at “the miracles that teachers
and adult students create every day.”
The 2016 Donor Coffee Reception highlighted new U.S. Citizens, letting DCLC’s
generous donors know the tremendous impact their gifts are making on adults who
study with the Literacy Council.
Also speaking at the event was Madoussou
Fofana, a DCLC student from Liberia who
became a U.S. Citizen after working with
her Volunteer Tutor Barbara Demps.
Madoussou told of escaping the civil war in Liberia and living in two other
countries before arriving in the United States 16 years ago.
“I hope to have my own business someday,” she said. “I have already voted in one
election, for the governor of Pennsylvania. This fall I will vote in my first election
for president. I am very happy and thankful to be an American citizen.”
DCLC Student Frida Sri Levi had become a U.S. Citizen just a few days before the
event, with President Judge Kenney presiding at her naturalization ceremony. Frida
thanked her Volunteer Tutor Carol Weiss for her help and inspiration, saying that
Carol is like family to her since her family is so far away.
P
C H A N G I N G L I V E S O N E A D U L T A T A T I M E
Delaware County Literacy Council (DCLC) 2217 Providence Avenue Chester PA 19013 610-876-4811 www.delcoliteracy.org
DCLC Student Frida Seri Levi (center) with President Judge Chad F. Kenney and Volunteer Tutor Carol Weiss at DCLC’s Donor Coffee Reception.
627 Students Served
33,941 Instructional Hours
183 Volunteers
11 GED Graduates
25 New Citizens
“I am very happy and thankful
to be an American Citizen.”
—DCLC Student Madoussou Fofana
DCLC Student Madoussou Fofana speaks at the
March 2016 Donor Coffee Reception.
2 DCLC Annual Report 2015–2016 610.876.4811
Message from the Director
Dear Friends of the Literacy Council,
During our program year of 2015-16, we were
reminded of the crucial role of our community’s
support. We rely on you—our donors, tutors, and
community partners—as much today as when we
got started over forty years ago.
One joyful reason for celebrating our community
support was the wrapping up of our 40th anniversary
activities in 2015. Former students, staff, and board
members joined our current community to celebrate our milestone at a summer
birthday party and then again at our Champions of Adult Literacy fundraiser. It
felt like a kind of homecoming for those who have moved on from DCLC and
was an inspiration for the staff and students here.
We try to harness that joyful energy and feeling of being supported by our
community for our daily work. Every time a new batch of students comes to
DCLC, I have the privilege of telling them about our history and what we have
to offer. I also make sure to tell them how the teachers, tutors, and staff they see
every day are only part of the team who are cheering for them. I tell them about
the donors and community partners who are investing in DCLC because they
expect great things from our adult students. Hearing about this support and these
high expectations boosts our students’ confidence as they return to learning.
A less joyful reason to be grateful for our supporters was the Pennsylvania
Assembly’s prolonged delay in passing a spending budget. As a result of the
budget impasse, grant payments from the Department of Education were delayed for
eight months. I cannot express how grateful I am that donors and supporters
stepped in to ensure our students received continuous educational services
without missing a single class due to lack of funds. DCLC’s strength and stability
are a direct result of support from our donors and partners.
I want to thank everyone who helped make our 40th year a success. With
continued support from donors, volunteers, and community partners, I know
DCLC will serve our community for another 40 years.
Thank you for your support,
Kate McGeever
VIPs Add Special Touch to 40th Birthday Party Well-wishers gathered on the lawn of
the Literacy Council building in Chester
on a sunny July afternoon to celebrate
DCLC’s 40th anniversary and to honor
GED Instructor Gwen Cottman on her
retirement from DCLC.
Delaware County Council adopted a
special resolution in honor of the
occasion, noting that since its founding
in 1975 the Literacy Council “has
worked with over 18,000 adults to
improve their skills” and “has trained
over 6,000 community members to
become volunteer literacy tutors.”
County Council Members John McBlain
and Michael Culp were two of the local
VIPs on hand to serve cake at the party.
Also serving cake and greeting guests
were Pennsylvania Representative of the
164th District Margo Davidson and
Superintendent of Upper Darby Police
Michael Chitwood, as well as Kenny
Covert, founder of the community
organization Brothers of Concern.
The event allowed supporters past and
present to gather and wish DCLC
“Happy Birthday” and to celebrate the
impressive career of Gwen Cottman.
More photos of the event can be found
on page 8.
County Council Member John McBlain serves birthday cake to DCLC Volunteer Tutor Arlette Liberatore at DCLC’s 40th Birthday Party .
PA State Representative Margo Davidson (left) and Upper Darby Police Superintendent Michael Chitwood were among the VIPs serving cake at DCLCs Community Birthday Party in July 2015.
www.delcoliteracy.org DCLC Annual Report 2015–2016 3
Marty Mannion
David Markman
David Marshall
Peter Matthews
Carolyn Jane McCall
Mary Ellen McCann
Scott McCarthy
Carolyn McGlinchey
Joseph McGonigle
Robyn McGonigle
Tracy McIntosh
William McLaurin
Sharyn Mead
Marjorie Merklin Lane
Kathy Messerman
Susan Maria Mikus
Dana Millio
Pam Mitchell
Ruth Montesines
David Morgan
Pamela Anne Morris
Renee Morris
Lori Morrisroe
Eve Mountford
Bill Murray
Anongnat Murtaugh
Margaret Natalie
Joan Neely
Elizabeth Neilson
Diane Nissen
Mary O'Connor
Charles O'Hala
Joshua Ocko
Briget OLeary
Kayla Panek
Susan Parker
Monica Pasquarella
Sara Pasternack
Pat Paul
Michael Perlstein
Ellen Pierce
Frank Pilson
Stephen Plafker
Samantha Porter
Leslie Pumphrey
Thomas Quagliariello
Linda Ramsey
Stephanie Reaves
Reginald Regis
Patricia Rizzo
Mona Rofail
Anne Rossi
Carol Rude
Gabriell Sacks
Denise Alire
Elise Van Arsdale
Stephen Austin
Valerie Bankert
Kyle Barger
Bob Bellino
Nancy Berger
Rob Berley
Shirley Birenbaum
Ron Blagman
Frances Bloom
Denice Bohl
Joseph Bohovic
Jill Bonner-Rementer
Susan Bowen
Hope Dalton Bowman
Jocolyn Bowser-Bostick
Michael Brant
Lisa Brinkman
Peter Brooks
Michaele Brown
Ronald Brylinski
Janet Buckley
Carolyn Bussey
Matthew Byrne
Irene Calabrese
Olga Canamucio
Nicholas Capriotti
Shonette Harrison Carew
Michelle Cavallaro
Joan Cheers-Lindsay
Susan Clarey
Bill Clendenin
Andrew Cogbill
Anne Cohen
Barbara Cohen
Michael Coladonato
Joanne Cook
Barry Cutler
Kathy Daly
Bessie Davis-Sparks
Barbara Demps
Mary Dunwoody
Rick Durante
Paul Durkin
Perry Durkin
Anna Maria Eakins
William Eichner
Eleanor Ercole
Patricia Farley
Chad Fehl
Edward Finn
Eileen Flanagan
Maureen Fleming
Joann Flocco
Jane Fortin
Joanne B. Frank
Elaine Frieberg
Donald Garfinkel
Roberta George
Chris Geraghty
Patricia Garzarella Gigl
Ann Gilligan
Celesta Gray
Flossie Graziola
Lorraine Grippi
Charles J. Hanna
Jeffrey Haviland
Bill Hayward
Suzanne Hayward
Virginia Coulter Heindl
Ginny Henderson
Joyce Henderson
Edward Hennessy
Wendy Hess
Jenna Hostutler
Diane Hughes
Penny Hughes
Hillary Hyduke
Gwynne Isaacs
Anthony Jennings
Megan Judge
Rachel Kachnycz
Theresa Kanya
Bonnie Kaplan
Sadhana Kapur
Sandy Kauffman
Charles Kelbley
Lynn Kelly
Kathryn Kenney
Michelle Minzee Kim
Jonathan Abdur Rahim King
Lyn Klock
Lauren Kohl
Ed Koons
Alison Kotras
Priyanka Kumar
Jacob L'Armand
Andrea Laepple
Olive Ledlie
William Levengood
Lois Levine-Elman
Patrick Lewis
Arlette Liberatore
Dick Linderman
Annie Long
Jo Lumley
Mary Coleen Lynch
Patricia Saltis
Rande Saxe
Patricia Scanlon
Ernest Schroeder
Janet Schroeder
Frances Schultz
Heather Seifrit
Robert Senior
Renee Settles-Bean
Theresa Sharp
Barbara Sheehan
Frances Shehadi
Andrew Sheridan
Harriet Sherman
Arthur Sherry
Suzanne Sherry
Florence Silvey
Helen Simyak
Josephine Singer
Rise Skobeloff
Stephen Small
Lois Snyder
Jane Spiller
Jennifer Stevens
Suzanne Stewart
Jennifer Stock
Jack Stoddard
Peter Stokes
Maria Strauman
Peter Stroup
Alyssa Suhm
Kelly Thornton
Ilene Chester
Cynthia Trago
Lauren Marie Trexler
Saral Waldorf
Christine Walton
Anne Weisbord
Carol Weiss
Dick Whittington
Morgan Wieziolowski
Eileen Wiley
Kevin Wilson
Peggy Wyant
Colleen Yost
Volunteers in Program Year 2015–2016
DCLC appreciates all of our generous donors and volunteers. If we have misspelled, misplaced, or omitted your name in these pages, please contact us so we can correct the error.
4 DCLC Annual Report 2015–2016 610.876.4811
Champions Fundraiser Highlights 40 Years
To mark 40 years of providing free literacy services to local adults, DCLC honored
four champions from its own ranks at the Third Annual “Champions of Adult
Literacy” Awards Reception on November 10, 2015, at Harrah’s Casino and
Racetrack in Chester. Here are the 2015 Champions.
Bob Preston (shown at right below) is DCLC’s Master Tutor Trainer and one of the
founders of the Literacy Council. In the 1970s he volunteered first to tutor, then to
train tutors, and finally to help the new organization establish itself. Preston has
continued to train volunteer tutors for all of DCLC's 40 years, launching the
generous efforts of more than 3,000 volunteers during that time.
Charlotte Hobson Griffin (see sidebar at left) first came to DCLC as an adult
student who wanted to work on her reading
skills. After reaching her student goals, she
served on the DCLC Board of Directors from
2005 to 2013.
Gwen Cottman taught evening GED Preparation
classes at DCLC for 30 years. She is well known
and loved for her personal approach to helping
adult students (see also page 8).
Madeline Bialecki served as DCLC’s
Executive Director from 2006 to 2013. During
that time she bolstered the Literacy Council's
public profile and community connections.
Generous sponsors who made the Third Annual
Champions of Adult Literacy event possible
include Franklin Mint Federal Credit Union,
Harrah’s Casino & Racetrack, Brinker Simpson & Co., the Swarthmore Rotary
Club, Andy Shelter Photography, Crozer Keystone, Chester Water Authority,
Delaware County Medical Society, John Cipollone Heating & Cooling, Perri
Evanson Homes, Plush Mills Retirement Community, Rose Valley Appraisal
Associates, Twist ’n Shout Graphic Design, and Baker Printing.
Charlotte Hobson Griffin (right) was honored as a 2015 DCLC Champion of Adult Literacy. Charlotte came to DCLC in the 1990s as a student and was paired with Volunteer Tutor Ellen Murphey (left). The two remain friends.
Ellen introduced Charlotte as a 2015 Champion, saying, “It takes a huge amount of courage to ask for help.”
In accepting her award, Charlotte admitted that for years she had hidden her poor reading ability. She came to the Literacy Council with the goal of passing a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) test.
“Ellen worked with me, and I was able to learn how to read and write well enough to pass the test,” she said.
Charlotte also shared a “most exciting moment” from her life when being able to read road signs correctly allowed her to drive from her home in Upper Darby to her mother’s home in Long Island, New York.
Once she achieved her student goals, Charlotte provided leadership at the Literacy Council through public speaking, serving on the board of directors, and coordinating special events. She is a true champion!
Champion Spotlight
“Faces of Literacy” Exhibit Tours Delco DCLC’s “Faces of Literacy” exhibit features photographs of adults who have overcome
life’s obstacles and who are improving their lives by pursuing better jobs, improving
their reading and writing, or learning to speak English for the first time.
Thanks to wonderful community partnerships, the exhibit made its way to several
locations in Delaware County in the spring of 2016. The exhibit was on display at
the Marple Library in February 2016, at Swarthmore College’s Lang Center for
Civic and Social Responsibility
in April 2016, at the Springfield
Township Library in May 2016,
and at the Media Borough Hall
in June of 2016.
At right, Karen Repino,
Media Borough Executive
Assistant (left), and DCLC
Volunteer Pam Mitchell
admire some of the works
from the “Faces of Literacy”
exhibit displayed in the
Media Borough Hall.
DCLC leads a collaborative of literacy
organizations serving Montgomery
and Delaware Counties, including
Keystone Opportunity Center in
Souderton, Adult Literacy Program at
the Abington Free Library, YWCA
Tri-County Area in Pottstown, Literacy
Council of Norristown, Won
Community Service Center in
Glenside, and the Delaware County
Technical School in Broomall.
Kim Kondla (left) introduced Bob Preston as a 2015 Champion of Adult Literacy. Both train volunteer tutors for the Literacy Council.
www.delcoliteracy.org DCLC Annual Report 2015–2016 5
DCLC Financial Data for 2015–2016
Eleven DCLC students earned their high school equivalency diplomas in 2015-
2016 by passing the GED tests. These students were honored at the Literacy
Council’s Annual GED Graduation Ceremony on June 15, 2016.
Several inspiring speakers addressed the graduates. Chester City Council Member
Elizabeth Williams congratulated the graduates for “taking a major step.” She
called GED graduation “the most important graduation of your life” because so
many other graduations are possible only with a high school diploma.
GED graduate Jean Badou shared his journey from the Republic of Benin in Africa
to earning his GED. When Jean arrived in the U.S., he first had to learn English,
studying with his DCLC Volunteer Tutor Caroline Packard. Then he entered a
GED class and, with hard work, earned his GED.
“I am still learning,” he told his fellow graduates. “You have to go for it and not be
afraid. Even to learn to walk, you have to fall down again and again.”
2016 GED Graduates Reach Milestone
Farzana Adil (right) landed a part-time position with Goodwill Industries in Swarthmore in May 2016. Employment Coach Wilma Guzman-Perez (left) helped Farzana with the many steps of her job search, including creating a resume and practicing for the job interview.
Wilma is available to help all DCLC students with setting goals and then pursuing a job search or further training.
DCLC Students Receive Help with Job Searches
DCLC students celebrate earning their GEDs. Pictured left to right are Charmaine Hawkins, Venice Rochester, Jean Badou, Tatianna Washington, Prince Dalieh, Jaqueline Nagy, Emily Branca, and De′Vante Edmonds-Williams.
6 DCLC Annual Report 2015–2016 610.876.4811
Lillie Guytonwallace
Wilma Guzman-Perez
Kerry and Rebecca Haber
Rush and Susan Haines
Elizabeth Hamilton
Charles J. Hanna
Holger and Anne Hansen
Harrah’s Philadelphia Casino
and Racetrack
Cynthia S. Harrington
Brian and Barbara Harris
Health Care Solutions of
Delaware Valley, LLC
Martin Spiegel and Linda
Heffernan
Frank Heinze
Sandra Herman
Sharon Hill
Robin L. Holmes
House Restaurant
Constance L. Howell
Clayton Hurlburt
Iron Hill Brewery &
Restaurant
J&R Associates
Donna M. James
Jenny Jex
John Cipollone, Inc.
William and Jeneane Johnson
Edmund Jones
Lisa A. Kaiser
Theresa Kanya
Heather Karlheim
Lynn Kelly
Kimberly Clark Corporation
King’s Automotive, Inc.
Ed Koons
Thomas Korman
Frederick Kosel
Adrian Leaf
Michael and Nancy Letts
Deanna Levin
Arlette Liberatore
Ilene D. Lieberman
Dick Linderman
Barbara Logan
Jeannie Longin
Jo Lumley
Christopher Maher
Toby and Melanie Maloney
Gordon Manin
Martin and Mary Mannion
The Ken Margolis Family
Giving Fund
Michael Marinucci
David Markman
David Marshall
Joseph Masek
Michael Allen
Jomo Atkins
Avenue Delicatessen
Naomi Bailey
Russell and JoAnn Bankes
Robert Barkhau
Charles Barksdale, Jr.
Arthur and Pamela
Bartholomew
Gloria Beam
David Belanger
Robert and Bonnie Bellino
Linda Berkowitz
Robert and Carole Berley
Madeline Bialecki
Paul and Jane Billings
Ronald and Ann Binder
Shirley B. Birenbaum
Ronald Blagman
Frances Bloom
Stephen Bobyock
James and Ruth Bock
Joseph Bohovic
Susan Bowen
Brinker, Simpson &
Company
Lisa Brinkman
Peter Brooks
Steven J. Brown
Bryn Mawr Running Co.
The Bryn Mawr Trust
Company
Ronald Burke
Judith Burns
Deanna Marie Byrne
Denise Campbell
John P. and Sharon J.
Capuzzi
Francis and Victoria Cardell
Terrance and Shonette
Harrison Carew
William Carney
Thomas Cavanaugh
Joseph and Debra Charley
Carrie Chelko
Chester Water Authority
Kristin, Casey, Cicely and
Erin Clark
Andrew Cogbill
Andrew Coleman
Stacy Collins
Desiree Collins
Comcast
Theresa Connors
Gwendolyn Cottman
Wilson Cottman
Joann Crowley
Crozer Keystone
Nina M. Cruice
Michael and Maureen Culbert
Susanna DeCecco
Desert Rose Restaurant
William and Carol DiMaio
Joan Dlugos
Linda P. Donnelly
Scott and Julianne Donnini
Dos Gringos Restaurant
Rick Durante
Paul and Catherine Durkin
Eastern State Penitentiary
Pierce Eckhart
Eugene Egan
William Eichner
George J. and Maureen A.
Eisele
Pat Engelbrecht
Richard and Renee Erickson
David and Perri Evanson
ExxonMobil Foundation
Judy Farling
Frank and Mary Fee
Edward and Ellen Finn
Eileen Flanagan
Judith A. Flannery
Maureen Fleming
The Foundation of the
Delaware County
Medical Society
The Franklin Fountain
Arthur Frank
Franklin Mint Federal
Credit Union
Joseph Gyourko and
Sally Fullam
Rith Furman
John M. Gardner
Donald Garfinkel
Gillian Geiger
General Electric Matching
Gifts
Chris Geraghty
Gerald J. Ward Trust
John Gillespie
Ann Gilligan
Rachel Giuliano
GlaxoSmithKline Foundation
Joshua and Cecilia Gold
Alan Gordon
Joseph and Celesta Gray
Sarell Grayson
Flossie Graziola
Ann Green
Charlotte Griffin
Daniel Guerin
Stephen B. and Annmichele P.
Gutsche
Peter Matthews
Joan P. Mauriello
Kenneth L. McCalla
Laura McCree
Patrick McGeever
Gloria McNutt
Florence Medica
Candace Meier
Sharon Menaldino
Kathy Messerman
Allen and Elizabeth Meyer
Melina Micich
Marge W. Mirarchi
Pamela Mitchell
Doris Mitrani
Joe and Lillian Mittleman
Byron D. Moat
Anita Jean Moran
William and Virginia Mosher
Christopher Mills and
Elizabeth Mosier
George and Eve Mountford
Frances Moyer
Debbi Muenz
Marshall Muhammad
Ellen Murphey and
Zara Joffe
Anongnat Murtaugh
Rostyslav and Victoria
Muzychko
John and Kay Myers
Joan Neely
David Neill
Richard and Mary Nenno
Newcomers Neighbors of the
Newtown Square Area
Barbara Norton
Patricia O’Donnell
Kenneth Takeshi Ogawa
Pamela Orr
Judith Owen
Caroline Packard
Richard and Patricia Paul
Andrea M. Paxton
Pennsylvania Institute of
Technology
Margaret Perry
Steven Perry and
Meredith Flower
Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Flyers
Philadelphia Soul Arena
Football Team
Christine Polischuk
David and Amy Pollack
Robert Pope
John and Anne Poulin
Robert Preston
Donors in Fiscal Year 2015–2016
www.delcoliteracy.org DCLC Annual Report 2015–2016 7
Thomas Quagliariello
Linda Ramsey
Carol Reich
Andrew and Joann Reinsel
Donald Richter and
Jane Gilligan
Wendella Ricker
Trudi Rockwell
Paula Rosen
Renee Ross
Arlene Rossi
Mary Ellen Roy
Michael and Maureen
Rutkowski
Barbara Saling
Salon Olivia
Patricia Saltis
Robert and Judith Schachner
Carrie Schiavo
Louis and Patricia Scotto
Ann K. Seidman
Warren and Carol Sell
Robert T. Senior
Daniel and Barbara Sheehan
Andy and Vicki Shelter
Helen B. Simyak
Rise Skobeloff
David and Carol Smallwood
Thomas D. and Teresa M.
Smedile
Christine C. Smith
Dan Snyder
Lois F. Snyder
Charles and Ellen Spencer
Renae Ross Starker
John and Susan Stefanski
Cheryl D. Stevenson
Michelle Stewart-Greene
Joe and Fran Stimmler
Jennifer L. Stock
Catherine Stoddard
Thomas D. Stoddard
Chris and Jack Stoddard
Scott Stoddard
Peter Stokes
Maria Strauman
Amy Strauss
Peter Stroup
Helen Subbio
Flora Sullivan
Anne Tallent
Susan V. Tartaglia
Taylor Community
Foundation
Ten Thousand Villages
David and Christina Teter
Kelly Thornton
Dottie Tiffany
Lyndora Patterson Tiller
Barbara Timony
Frank Tobin and Ilene
Chester
Trader Joe’s
Marie Treftz
Thomas and Jean Ann Tryson
Twist n Shout
Union Methodist Men
Unitarian Universalist Church
of Delaware County
Unity Animal Hospital
Mina Hale Varney
Kathleen Vukoder
W.F. Wechsler & Associates,
LLC
Margaret Wales
Linda Walker
Anthony and Joan Watson
Carol A. Weiss
Susan E Wendt
Lois A. Westhoff
Robert White
Mitch and Laura Wienick
Charitable Contribution
Fund
Michael and Marcia
Wileczek
Sarette Williams
Henry V. Williams
Theresa A. Wilson
Allen Wizdo and Kay Fairs
Fily Wolczek
Mary Woods
Ernest Wright
Margaret Wyant
Yangtze Inn
Jerry Young
Charles and Ann Zech
Honoraria and Memoria Gifts
Bad weather and overgrown weeds did not deter the Rotary Club of Chester from lending a helping hand in May 2016. Members of the club donned their rain gear, picked up their garden tools, and cleared the area around the Literacy Council’s sign on Providence Avenue in Chester (shown at left).
Gifts in Honor of
Madeline Bialecki
Thomas D. and Teresa M.
Smedile
Frances Bloom
Kristin, Casey, Cicely and Erin
Clark
Susan Clarey
Judith Owen
Herb Cohen
Paula Rosen
Gwen Cottman
Sarell Grayson
Sarette Williams
Delaware County Literacy
Council
Shirley B. Birenbaum
Charlotte Griffin
Ellen Murphey and Zara Joffe
Ilene D. Lieberman
Barbara Norton
Margaret H. Light
Clayton Hurlburt
Kate McGeever
Patrick McGeever
Joan Neely and Dan Snyder
Linda P. Donnelly
Robert Preston
Stacy Collins
Hannah Rappaport’s
Birthday
Pamela Orr
Anne Tallent
Susan E Wendt
Ann Ward
Gerald J. Ward Trust
Gifts in Memory of
James Bajorek
The Ken Margolis Family
Giving Fund
Robert White
Topsy Blagman
Ronald Blagman
Rudolph Bloom, Jr.
Frances Bloom
Rick Burns
Judith Burns
Dorothy (Miller) Buxton
Scott and Julianne Donnini
Gordon Manin
Theresa A Wilson
Ruth Farling
Judy Farling
Lilian Finn
Edward and Ellen Finn
Mary Gilligan
Ann Gilligan
LeNora Hamilton
Michael and Nancy Letts
Elizabeth Keller
Charlotte Hobson Griffin
Edith Lefferts
Michael and Nancy Letts
Thulia Mead
John and Kay Myers
Patricia Miele
Barbara Logan
Howard Moyer
Frances Moyer
Rhoads and Eleanor
Murphey
Charlotte Hobson Griffin
Robert Neill
Charlotte Hobson Griffin
Deborah Preg
Margaret Perry
Arlene Rossi
William and Jeneane Johnson
DCLC Benefits from Generous Grants In 2015–2016, the Delaware County Literacy Council received several generous grants
from foundations, including:
$35,000 from The Philadelphia Foundation for general operating support.
$32,000 from the United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey for
general operating support.
$5,000 from the Connelly Foundation for general operating support.
$3,000 from the Ohev Shalom Community Outreach Committee for the purchase of
books for English as a Second Language students.
$2,000 from Chester Rotary for the purchase of books. DCLC Staff Full-Time Staff Kate McGeever, Executive Director Deb Charley, Adult Education
Coordinator Karen Hamilton, Adult Education
Coordinator Susan Keller, Communications
and Technology Specialist Tatiana Moskatova, Data Quality
Specialist
Part-Time Staff Naomi Bailey, Math Coordinator Linda Berkowitz, EL Civics Instructor
and ESL Tutor Trainer Khalif Brown, EL Civics Instructor Maureen Culbert, Bookkeeper Ann Gilligan, GED Instructor Wilma Guzman-Perez, Employment
Coach Kathleen Hauger, ABE Instructor Nancy Kirkwood, ESL Tutor Trainer Kim Kondla, Tutor Trainer Patrick Lewis, Volunteer Recruiter Candace Meier, EL Civics Instructor Robert Preston, Master Trainer Amy Rosenberg, GED Instructor
DCLC Board of Directors Robert M. Berley, President Kelly Thornton, Vice President Jennifer Stock, Secretary Penny Hughes, Treasurer Rick Durante Donald Garfinkel Jonathan Abdur Rahim King John Linder Dick Linderman David Marshall Charles O'Hala Linda Ramsey Patricia Rizzo Lois Snyder Carol Weiss
County Council presented Executive Director Kate McGeever (far right) with an official resolution recognizing DCLC’s 40th anniversary. Also shown in photo, from left: County Council Member Michael Kulp and DCLC Board Members Rick Durante and Dick Linderman.
DCLC Mission The Delaware County Literacy
Council works with adults who
wish to read, write, speak and
understand English, helping them
to increase their communication
skills and to participate more fully
in society. The Council uses
volunteers to ensure that programs
are free and accessible to everyone.
In Memory of Renée Ross Renée Ross came to the Literacy Council in the spring of 2010 after a stroke impaired her brain function and she needed to re-learn to read and write. Everyone at the Literacy Council was immediately taken by her vivacious personality and her willingness to learn and help. Living across the street from DCLC meant she was on hand for almost every DCLC event and witnessed the daily comings and goings at the Literacy Council.
Renée has won student awards, spoken at DCLC events, and created a video for the organization (search “Renée’s Story delcoliteracy” at youtube.com). Renée was a crafter, and she often showed her gratitude to her tutors and the Literacy Council staff by making beautiful, glittery gifts. She also donated many lovely craft items for our gift basket raffles. Renée died of a prolonged illness on March 22, 2017. We at DCLC will miss her.
More Highlights from DCLC’s 40th Birthday Party
Gwen Cottman (left) gets a hug from DCLC Math Coordinator Naomi Bailey (right) at the outdoor party celebrating DCLC’s 40th anniversary and Gwen’s retirement. Gwen taught GED preparation classes for 30 years at DCLC.
Photos in this publication are courtesy of Na’chelle Morris and Andy Shelter Photography.