Community Newsletters Archives - Literacy Council of Carroll County

June 2021 Community Newsletter

Marketing & Outreach Job Opening

The Literacy Council of Carroll County is seeking an individual interested in a part-time position (15-20 hours a week) responsible for marketing, design, and outreach. This is a great opportunity for a creative person interested in promoting adult education in Carroll County. Please share this job opening with your contacts! Anyone interested in the position should contact Sam Greenholtz, Executive Director at 410-857-0766 or execdir.lcouncil@gmail.com for more information.

In-person Tutoring Rooms Available

The Literacy Council is pleased to announce that the two learning rooms in our office are once again available for in person tutoring! The Non-profit Building is open to the public, so you can come in and head up to our office. Tutors and students must be vaccinated to use the spaces (or must wear a mask while in our office). Please call 410-857-0766 for details and to sign-up for a room (day and time). We look forward to seeing you!

Support The Literacy Council While Grocery Shopping

If you shop at Kennie’s Marketplace, you can support the Literacy Council at no cost to you! The Literacy Council is participating in Kennie’s Marketplace‘s 24th Annual Community Rewards Program. When you designate the Literacy Council as your choice for the fundraiser, Kennie’s will give us up to 1% of designated purchases made between April 8 and August 25, 2021. Just let the cashier know that you want to sign-up for the program and that you designate the Literacy Council for the rebate. You can also sign-up online and get more information here.

2021 Annual Charity Golf Tournament

Join the Literacy Council on Friday, August 27, 2021 for our Annual Charity Golf Tournament. Come out for an enjoyable morning of golf, followed by lunch, while raising funds to support adult education in Carroll County. To sign up to play, please contact the Literacy Council at 410-857-0766. More information is available on our website (downloadable forms and on-line sign-ups should soon be live). Sponsorships are also available, including hole sponsorships (you get your name or business on a sign placed at a hole)! Call us at 410-857-0766 for more information.

Save the Date: Upcoming Events for Community Partners & Tutors

This fall we are holding a Resource Fair & Recognition Event for our Tutors on Tuesday, September 21 and an Open House for our Community Partners on Wednesday, September 22 . This is a hands-on opportunity to learn more about our program, view on-line learning resources, and explore the suite of available printed resources (books, workbooks, and more …). More details coming soon.

We are pleased to share some of our adult leaner’s accomplishments so far this year. With the support of our skilled and dedicated volunteer tutors:

2 students received their GED
1 college student passed a required math class
1 ESL graduate student’s English proficiency improved to a level such that the student no longer needs support for writing a dissertation
1 student completed pre-GED level materials in three subjects and moved on to GED level studies, making significant progress toward the end goal of a GED

Congratulations to our adult learners and tutors for making life changing learning success happen.

February 2021 Community Newsletter

New Webpage Launched!

The Literacy Council is pleased to announce the launch of our new, improved webpage! On-line forms make it easy to apply to be a student, volunteer, or tutor, and a new layout aims to make the the webpage more user-friendly. Please send comments and feedback on the new site to Rebecca Arenson-Rachinski at outreachdir.lcouncil@gmail.com.

Thank you to Gauge Digital Media for our webpage design and execution.

COVID-19 Update

We encourage you to stay up-to-date on information regarding COVID vaccination at the Carroll County Health Department website, and to share this information with others who do not have internet access.

In the meantime, our tutors meet with their students both in-person and virtually. We continue to provide Chromebooks to students and tutors who need them, help address internet access issues, provide support and training for tutors and students in using various software (such as Zoom). On-line learning programs have proven to be a useful learning option for our students.

Fundraising in 2021

Due to the pandemic, the 2021 Spelling Bee has been cancelled. At this time, our next fundraising event is the 11th Annual Golf Tournament on Friday, August 27, 2021 at the Quail Valley Golf Course. More specific information will available this spring.

December 2020 Community Newsletter

Tutors Needed

If you have ever considered becoming a tutor, we strongly encourage you to contact the Literacy Council. We have recently partnered with Carroll Community College to support their GED classes and are in need of additional tutors to work with students. Our shared goal is to proactively identify and assist students who are struggling in the group classes. The Literacy Council will provide additional support and one-on-one tutoring for the GED students in Math, Social Studies, Science, and Language Arts. We are seeking tutors who would like to support this effort.

You do not need prior teaching experience! You can pick which subjects you want to tutor. Tutoring can be done virtually, so there is no concern about getting coronavirus. And we can provide needed resources. So please consider joining us as a tutor!

If you are interested, please contact Heidi White, Student/Tutor Coordinator at 410-857-0766 or lcouncilcc@gmail.com.

Thank You to our Giving Tuesday Supporters

Many thanks to the generous donors who supported the Literacy Council during our December 1, 2020 Giving Tuesday campaign! Especially during this trying time when in-person fundraising events are not possible, your generosity during this virtual event makes it possible for us to continue to support adult learners.

October 2020 Newsletter

New Office Hours

Starting Monday, October 5, 2020, the Literacy Council will be changing our office hours. We will be open Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 9 am to 2 pm. The office will be closed on Fridays.

Implementing Virtual Learning

As with other education providers, COVID-19 has made it necessary for the Literacy Council to implement a new virtual approach to learning. We are excited to build on our initial efforts, and view this as a great opportunity to reach students who were unable to utilize our in-person tutoring. We provide Chromebooks to students and tutors who need them, help address internet access issues, provide support and training for tutors and students in using various software (such as Zoom), and are increasing our use of on-line learning programs.

Seeking New Students

The Literacy Council remains active and we are seeking new students as we implement virtual tutoring! Virtual tutoring provides an excellent learning opportunity for adults with transportation and/or other challenges that rule out in-person tutoring. Please refer interested adult learners to the Literacy Council for more information. We have several new tutors waiting to be matched with a student, so new students will be able to quickly start a program.

Successful 11th Annual Charity Golf Tournament Critical to Supporting Learning During COVID

Many thanks to our sponsors and participants for the September 4 Charity Golf Tournament at the Quail Valley Golf Course. Your support resulted in a successful fundraising event! Since our other planned 2020 annual fundraising events were cancelled, the funds raised at the Golf Tournament will be key to helping the Literacy Council support adult learners.

December 1, 2020 Virtual Fundraiser

Support the Literacy Council on Tuesday, December 1 during the Giving Tuesday fundraising event! Once a year, this annual fundraising event supports organizations around the globe. More information coming soon!

Unbelievable Idioms From Around the World

Tutor Susan Schubert recently published a fascinating children’s book showcasing idioms used in other countries. Her delightful book, I’ll Believe You When….Unbelievable Idioms from Around the World, will make you think about the challenges of understanding another language. For example, instead of saying “when pigs fly”, in the Netherlands people say “when cows dance on ice”. For more awesome idioms, you can check out a copy of Susan’s book at your library or the Literacy Council office.

My Corona Selected for Virtual Art Exhibit

Tutor Vicki Mayo’s striking pineneedle basket, My Corona, was selected for the Carroll County Arts Council’s (CCAC) virtual art exhibit and featured on the exhibit’s cover page. While the exhibit Quarantined: Creating While Stuck closed August 31, photos of My Corona and the other work can be viewed in the archived exhibits section of the CCAC website.