arlington reads 2010 newsletter

8/7/2019 Arlington Reads 2010 Newsletter

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ARLINGTON

READS

Live, Learn, Connect, Grow

Arlington, Texas

December2010

Arlington Reads is grate-ful to its partner Marchof Dimes, whose generousdonation of 2,000 books has

reached many students. March

of Dimes continues to sup-

port Arlington Reads through

a $500 grant, which has been

used to purchase copies of

Baby Basics, given to moth-

ers attending Life Through

Literacy classes.

On August 14, 2010, ArlingtonReads hosted its inaugural 5Kwalk/run, Book It for Literacy. Ninety-

eight racers of all ages competed in

the event, held at the beautiful River

Legacy Park in north Arlington. The

race was made possible by our part-

Book It for Literacy

March of Dimes

Partnership

Above: Venture High School student

Andrea Aguilar learns the importance

of reading to her baby, Genesis Garcia,in her Life Through Literacy class.

ners, Arlingtons Departments of

Parks and Recreation and Police an

Fire, and by the generous donations

given to us by The Runner, Whole

Foods, and Costco. Mark your calen

dars for our 2nd annual 5K race on

August 13, 2011.

in this issue

Our Impact...........................2

Minhs Story.........................3

Partners for WorkplaceLiteracy.................................3

Saving Lives throughLiteracy.............................4

Giving Back to Arlington........5

In the Wordsof our Students....................5

VISTAs in Serviceto Arlington..........................6

Life at Arlington Reads..........7


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TolearnmoreaboutArlingtonReads,call817275332

Arlington Reads owes its success to the dedicaon of its students, vo

unteers, and community partners. In the scal year 2010, we made t

following impact:

189 volunteersserved their community through Arlington Reads.

4,923 hourswere dedicatedto Arlington Reads by our volunteers.

1,340 studentsparcipated in Arlington Reads programs.

is the total number of hours our students and volunteersspentworking together.

ESL and Basic Literacy students advanced at least one levelinEnglish prociency.

147ESL and Basic Literacy studentsmet a literacy goal.83%of Learning Zone studentspassed to the next grade level.

of parents with children in Wee Reads say they have learnedsomething new.

3students passed the cizenship test.

3students got their GED, contribung $135,000 to Arlington annuall

5students obtained jobs.

families received free board books to help develop early childhooliteracy skills.

Arlington Reads offers thefollowing programs

to the community:

Adult Literacy

ESL and Basic Literacy

Citizenship Preparation

English Conversation Circles

Online GED

Youth Literacy

The Learning Zone

Fitnessistas

Readers Theater

Junior High Tutoring

Workplace Literacy

Texas Industry Specifc ESL

Computer Classes

Family Literacy

Life Through LiteracyWee Reads

Lee y Sers

Our Impact

When Rosaura Ambriz rst came to Arlington

Reads, she knew little English and had never

graduated from high school. My goals are to

speak, understand, write, and read English, sh

said.

Now, three years later, she speaks English sowell that family members in Minnesota rely on

her as an over-the-phone translator at the doc-

tors ofce and the supermarket.

Its different now, she says. I can help my

children with their homework.

11,763

100%

62

Meet Rosaura

Rosaura, with her daughter Dayana, who parcipa

in Readers Theater, the Learning Zone, and Fitness

2

110


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orvisitourwebsiteatarl ingtonreads.org

3

Partners for

Workplace Literacy

With the generous support ofNorth Texas Future Fund andTexas Health Resources, Arlington

Reads has expanded its workplace

literacy programs into the commu-nity of Arlington. In February 2010,

Arlington Reads began teaching

English as a Second Language class-

es and Texas Industry Specic Eng-

lish as a Second Language classes to

staff members of Arlington Memo-

rial Hospital and Hyatt Place.

The classes, which reach 26

adults, teach basic literacy skills,

while concentrating on vocabulary

specic to their students work-

places. By focusing on job-oriented

English, Arlington Reads and its

partners hope to facilitate communi-

cation between employees and cus-

tomers. Once the program started

we realized we were getting so

much more, Preston Miller, Human

Resources Director for AMH, said.

[The participants] became more

engaged in the organization andsought out every available learning

opportunity. This program has given

the participants a passion for learn-

ing which cannot be recreated.

Results of a recent test mea-

suring English prociency show that

84% of students at Hyatt Place ad-

vanced at least one level. Arlington

Reads is grateful for the continued

support that NTFFs Vice President

Carl Hecht and Vice President of

Administration Valerie Hodges have

provided for its workplace literacy

initiatives.

Employees at Arlington Memorial Hospi-

tal study English aer work.

Minhs Story

Almost 238,000 adults in TarrantCounty cannot read English wellenough to follow a bus schedule or

read a story to their children. Minh

Nguyen is no longer one of theseadults.

For the past 16 years, Minh

has lived in Arlington, unable to spea

read, or write in English. Encouraged

by her husband and children, who

speak the language uently, Minh

enrolled in three English as a Second

Language classes at Arlington Reads.

When asked what has mo-

vated her to keep up her studies forthree years, Minh insists, If I learn, I

can help others. She speaks enthusi

cally about her Texas Industry Spec

English as a Second Language course

where she pracces the healthcare-

related terms that will help her reach

her long-term goal: to become a pa-

ent-intake coordinator at a hospital

More important, however, sh

says knowing English allows her tobeer care for her children. Because

her classes at Arlington Reads, Minh

not only able to read stories to her so

and daughter, ages 7 and 10, but she

can also help them with their home-

work. With this in mind, she laughs

easily when her children tell friends

that mommy goes to school, too.

Minh, reviewing vocabulary words.


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Saving Lives

through Literacy

Clockwise, from le: VISTAs Kim

Tran (center) and Virginia Tran

(le) lead parenng and expec

teen moms in a song that teach

children vowel sounds; Life

Through Literacy student Melin

Flores pracces asking her daug

ter, Sophia, crical thinking que

ons about the ball shes playin

with; Kim (right) instructs mom

to idenfy the tle of a book

before reading it to their childr

Life Through Literacy founder Jo

Bruner (le) awards the ArlingtPublic Library with a $5,000 do

on from the Arlington North

Rotary Club and the Life Throug

Literacy Foundaon, to be used

to support Arlington Reads Life

Through Literacy classes.

Studies shows that more babiesdie each year in Arlington thanin almost any other city in Texas.

Arlington Reads has joined forces

with Arlington Independent School

District, local non-prot Life Through

Literacy, the Arlington North Rotary

Club, and Rotary District 5790 to

ght infant mortality.

Arlington Reads Life

Through Literacy program seeks to

counter one of the leading causes

of infant mortality -- poor mater-

nal health -- by educating new and

expecting teen moms about prenatal

care, healthy lifestyle choices, mater-

nity resources in the community, and

early childhood literacy. Reaching

more than 60 students in seven localhigh schools, Life Through Literacy

teaches students how to care for

their babies and create lasting bonds

through reading, singing, and playing.

Life Through Literacy founder

Joe Bruner sees the program as a way

to create productive families while

reducing the rate of infant mortality

and illiteracy.

Of all the issues facing our

city, he says, I cannot think of one

more serious than the potential loss

of life of a baby. The issue is forced

to become merely a statistic. We are

standing up for them.

The teens attending the pro-

gram speak of how much they have

learned. Christina Cruz, an expect-

ing mom and senior at Venture High

School, says, Point out the front,

cover, and spine of the books. These

are skills children need to learn before

school. I have learned the importance

of engaging both sides of the

brain and to read a book over

port the purchase of a laptop com

puter and LCD projector, used wh

conducting Life Through Literacy

classes in Arlington ISD high scho

Of all the issues facing

our city, I cannot thinkof one more serious tha

the potential loss of lifeof a baby. -- Joe Bruner

and over again for my baby

to learn. When asked if

they would recommend the

classes to others, 100 per-cent emphatically said yes.

Through the gener-

ous donations of Life

Through Literacy, Arling-

ton North Rotary Club and

Rotary District 5790, Arlington

Reads has been able to purchase cop-

ies of Baby Basics for each student

in the program. Funding from these

organizations has also helped sup-

4


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Giving Back to Arlington

Volunteer ESL teacher SethBailey remembers a timewhen he spent long days in the li-

brary, enjoying the luxury of time

hat retirement offers. One day,

mid the silence of the library, heheard a distressed voice trying to

ommunicate in French. Fluent

n the language, Seth approached

he man to help, unaware that this

xperience would change his life.

Seth quickly learned that

he man and his wife had recently

mmigrated from West Africa,

having won a visa through the

ottery system. With no knowl-

dge of English, the couple faced

daily struggle to adjust to life

n Arlington. The experience of

eeing this couple burdened by

heir inability to communicate

with those around them motivated

Seth to volunteer with Arlington

Reads.

Seth describes teaching as

the best thing thats ever hap-

pened to him. In his classes, he

focuses on the practical applica-

tion of English. After teaching his

students to write their addresses

and telephone numbers, for ex-

ample, he asks them to ll out therelevant sections of a job applica-

tion. Seths goal as a teacher is to

help his students become indepen-

dent in everyday life and to impart

a love of reading and discovering

new things.

Arlington Reads lls a

great need for programs servicing

immigrants, Seth says. Pro-

gramming takes place with stu-

dents in mind. The students who

seek out Arlington Reads have the

will and drive to learn, they just

need a teacher.

The dedication Seth sees

in his students motivates him to

keep teaching. This is my call-

ing, he says, my gift back to the

community.

n the Words of our Students

Catherine,

just wanted to say thank you to you

and this program. While I have not

personally met you, I have met Yoko,and a few other people who have

made this journey so positive. I have

my own personal struggles with

feeling humiliated, having to get my

GED, and even having to confess to

my 14 year old, mom is not perfect!

t was very hard to tell my son, but

he is my biggest supporter (along

with my husband). I just wanted you

o know, that EVERYONE, I have

The following message was sent to Arlington Reads Workforce Literacy

Coordinator Catherine Wilson from a student in our GED program.

Seth Bailey (le) instructs his ESL students

Keep working, he said. You can do it.

come in contact with, through the

Arlington Reads program, so far,

has made me feel very comfortable,motivated, and good about the pro-

cess. Especially Richard, the com-

munication in his class as well as

the emails he sends, makes you (and

hopefully everyone in class) feel like

he not only wants you to succeed in

math, but to genuinely succeed pe-

riod. I appreciate his time, it means

alot. Just wanted to thank you, for

having such good people helping

with the program who dont make

you feel stupid or inferior, that wa

a huge concern of mine, but aftermeeting Yoko that frst day to sign

up, I felt her sincerity in wanting t

help me. Her enthusiasm in the or

entation class was wonderful! Eve

your emails, indicate the want

help everyone learn..... very refres

ing!

Thanks again! Maria


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VISTAs in Service to Arlington

When Arlington Reads was rst estab-lished as the literacy branch of theArlington Public Library, it was staffed by

one AmeriCorps VISTA, or Volunteer in Ser-

vice to America. Today, Arlington Reads is

home to nine VISTAS, who have expandedits programming from one early childhood

literacy class to 13 programs, which span

youth, adult, family, and workplace literacy.

VISTA leader Kayce Green has spent

nearly two years dedicated to Arlington

Reads. Raised in Missouri, Kayce was drawn

to the opportunity to work with a literacy

organization by her desire to learn how to

best serve others. In college, she had worked

with refugees, teaching English as a Second

Language and preparing her students to sellitems at a farmers market.

At Arlington Reads, Kayce has

focused her attention on developing teen

and tween literacy programs. Through her

Junior High tutoring sessions and Readers

Theater program, she helps her students not

only build their reading and writing skills

but also gain self-condence. Its small

communities were helping, she says. By

helping young adults to become literate,

Arlington Reads is breaking the cycle of

poverty.

When Kayces secondyear of service ends in February,

she hopes to pursue the eld of

human rights. Education ties

so much into human rights, she

says. Often, ESL students get

taken advantage of because they

are scared, they dont speak Eng-

lish, and they arent citizens.

For now, Kayce is work-

ing to ensure that ArlingtonReads serves the community well

into the future. She hopes to

leave behind a math and sciencebased youth technology center,

where college and high school

students introduce junior high

students to the branches of

engineering. Arlington Reads is

thankful for her dedication to the

community of Arlington.

AmeriCorps VISTA is

the national service program

dedicated to ghting poverty. Fomore information, visit www.

americorps.gov.

VISTAs Kayce Green (far right) and

Rachel Foster (far le) pose with thei

Readers Theater students.

6

Right column, descending:

VISTA Catherine Wilson

Workplace Literacy

Coordinator

VISTA Kaley Horton

Learning Zone Coordinator

VISTA Kim Tran

Special Programs Coordinat

VISTA Rachel Foster

Learning Zone Coordinator

Center left: VISTA Cheirieamour Smith, Workplace Literacy Coordinator

Center column, descending: Yoko Matsumoto,Library Service Manager - Literacy, Glory Dalton, Programming Special

Mary Arnold,Literacy Coordinator (Not pictured: Ivonne Kieffer and Dyan Anderson, Programming Specialists)

Left column, descending:

VISTA Lori Frola

Public Relations Coordinator

VISTA Rebekah Welch

Volunteer and Student

Coordinator

VISTA Virginia Tran

Special Programs Coordinator

VISTA Kayce Green

VISTA Leader

Meet Our Staff


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DONORS & SPONSORS

Friends of Arlington Reads

7

Arlington Reads literacy programs are funded enrely through grants and donaons. We would

like to sincerely thank all of our sponsors, donors, and partners, who make our work possible.

FIRE DEPARTMENT

Arlington, TX

PARTNERS

Debbie Viragh

DADS Advisory FundSandra Brown

Life Through Literac

Arlington Unitarian

Universalist Church

St. Joseph the

Apostle Church

Joe Bruner

Libraries for Literacy

NTRLS


8/10

Above: VISTA Rachel Foster reads with herLearning Zone student Edwin Alvarado.

Right: Learning Zone student Kevin Palacios

pracces reading strategies with his tutor,

Quaneshala Johnson.

Le: ESL student Yanping Ling

(right) works with tutor Ryan Gal-

lagher to improve his speaking

skills.

Make a Difference!

8

Arlington Reads empowers children and adults to break the cycle of poverty and underachievement.

We need your support to connue our work. By becoming a volunteer, you can improve the lives of

others through the power of educaon. No previous teaching experience is required.


9/10

Above: In Life Through Literacy class, par-

ents pracce songs that their babies will

love to sing along to!

Right: Readers Theater parcipants Steve

Avila, Paola Cepeda, Luna Shqeir, and Aidee

Barajas perform the script they have wrien

for the book Peter Pan.

Other Ways to HelpIf tutoring is not for you, please consider giving in one of the following ways:

Purchase an item on our Amazon Wish List. Find the link at

arlingtonreads.org.

Become a sponsor or parcipantin our annual Book It for Literacy 5KRace and Fun Run.

Host a book drive at your church or workplace. We have bags avail-

able for collecon.

Did you have a favorite book as a child?Share it through donaon.

Challenge your friends on Facebookto pledge a small donaon on the

Arlington Reads Facebook page.

Donate online at arlingtonreads.org or call 817-275-3321.

The best part of this

opportunity is that Arli

ton Reads oers exibl

schedules and formats

the volunteer. You wan

to teach a small class?

They got you covered.You want to be a one-

on-one tutor? They can

get you set up with tha

too. I encourage you to

inquire.

-- Ryan Gallagher, ESL Tuto


10/10

Join Us!arlingtonreads.org

facebook.com/arlingtonreads

twier.com/ArlingtonReads

ickr.com/arlingtonreadstx

Yes! I support Arlington literacy programs

I would like to volunteer with: I would like to donate a tax-deducble gi of:

Adults Early Childhood Learning (0-4 years) $10 $50

Children (grades 1-3) Other Dues $25 $100

Other amount of $__________________

Donor/Volunteer Contact Informaon

Name:_________________________________

Address:_____________________________ City:____________________ State:_______ Zip:________

Phone:__________________________________ Email:_______________________________________

Payment Opons

Check is aached (made payable to the Arlington Public Library Foundaon)Credit Card(circle one) AMEX VISA MC Disc

Name as it appears on card:___________________________________

Card #:_______________________________ Exp. Date:____________

Signature:____________________________ Date:________________

Mail to: Arlington Public Library an. Arlington Public Library Foundaon

101 East Abram Street

Arlington, TX 76010

817-459-6900

arlington reads 2010 newsletter

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