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A newsletter from the
Literacy Alliance of Northeast Florida
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Volunteer Appreciation Issue |
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"Volunteers do not necessarily have the time, they just have the heart."
-Elizabeth Andrew
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April 18 – 24th
is National Volunteer week! We appreciate our volunteers all year long, but we want to give a special shout-out this month to our talented, dedicated, and incredible volunteers.
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Note: not all active volunteers are pictured* |
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A Heartfelt Thank You To Our Volunteers!
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Thank you to all our Volunteers! We appreciate your dedication, hard work, creativity, enthusiasm and commitment to achieving your student’s goals.
The Literacy Alliance has over 50 active volunteers. Our volunteers support us in many ways including tutoring students one-on-one, teaching a class, teaching or assisting in a workshop (financial, health, math, digital literacy, and career development), supporting students in the computer lab, grading assignments from the correctional facilities, assisting in the office, and serving on the Board of Directors.
Some other examples; a volunteer recently spent a few hours on Saturday taking photos during two workshops, another comes every Wednesday morning to help with office work and class attendance, another group is helping us with community outreach via social media and flyers, and some may help by donating or conducting a supply drive. Literacy Alliance volunteer opportunities utilize various skill sets, talents and passion — our volunteers are truly priceless!
During the pandemic, our volunteer inquiries have risen, partly due to some having more flexibility during the pandemic or wanting to connect with others, even if it is online. Volunteering has positive effects on health by connecting people to others and to an activity that they find meaningful. Achieving connection, purpose, and meaning is critical to balancing the stressors of life. Since stress is a major cause of disease, especially heart disease, the ability to make these connections can bring about beneficial and life-altering changes for people. When there is purpose and we are truly connected to others, at the end of the day, we take care of ourselves.
Thank you again for volunteering! We appreciate YOU!
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Welcome, Kelley! Our Newest VISTA Member!
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"There is no greater reward than working toward positive change right in my hometown... I am so proud to be apart of this amazing team, I have already learned so much!" |
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Meet Kelley Layton, our newest AmeriCorps VISTA member!
Kelley took an oath of service in February and will be with us for the next year. She is an alumni of the University of North Florida with a B.S. in communication with a concentration in Public Relations.
Kelley will be assisting with capacity building, community outreach and communication efforts for LANEFL. We are thrilled to have her join the Literacy Alliance team. Let's give a warm welcome to Kelley!
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Congrats, Graduates!
Myherley G
Regina E
Tyreese J
Yishai H
We are so proud of all of your hard work! Congratulations, Myherley, Regina, Tyreese and Yishai for setting the bar high! We look forward to hearing about all of your future successes!
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Want To Earn Your GED®?
Inaugural Social Studies Class
Five students are attending our first GED® Social Studies Class. The class will meet and study for about 10 weeks, and they will be READY to take the GED® Social Studies exam at the end of the session. Stay tuned for additional GED® Classes in the coming months.
The GED® Exam consists of 4 subjects: Reasoning through Language Arts, Mathematical Reasoning, Social Studies, and Science. Students may focus on one subject at a time and take that section of the exam.
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Digital Literacy
With Andrea Billups
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The Literacy Alliance is proud to expand the classes we offer to include digital literacy classes.
So what is digital literacy? “Literacy” is how much you know about a specific topic. Digital literacy is how much you know about technology, like cell phones and computers. These days, it’s hard to get by if you don’t have a cell phone or a computer or don’t really know how to use one.
In order to best serve our students, we have started offering technology classes and one-on-one sessions to help students increase their computer and cell phone skills.
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Computer Workshops
Sponsored by RS&H and Comcast
- 4/6 News Literacy - 6 pm - 8 pm
- Learn how to identify news sources and verify their accuracy and credibility.
- 4/22 Using Instagram - 5 pm - 7 pm
- Learn how to navigate Instagram - from knowing your followers, to posting on your profile or story, along with sending Direct Messages.
- 5/4 Internet Safety 5 pm - 7 pm
- Learn how to safely use the internet, identify legitimate websites, and avoid scams and viruses.
- 5/20 Using Google Docs 6 pm - 8 pm
- Learn how to create, format, save and print a Google Document.
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BOLD CITY BEE: TEAMS STILL NEEDED! |
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September 21st, 6-8 pm
Streaming Online!
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Want to relive your middle school years? Where improv comedy meets an adult spelling bee! You can expect to have a hilariously good time with an evening event facilitated by the performers, comedians, and creators of the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.
If you think you have what it takes, join us for a good cause and a good laugh! Email us at admin@literacyallnefl.org to find out more about how you can participate.
A major thank you and shout out to our current teams, Superintendent Dr. Diana Greene, Julie Delegal, Luchandra Bryant, Matt Hartley, and Nancy Seely!
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This past year, the Literacy Alliance welcomed the placement of a Social Work intern from the University of North Florida with our program. Our students benefited greatly from the work of our intern, Almaas Bannister, who served as our first Student Advocate as part of completing her Bachelors in Social Work degree.
Almaas spent two to three days per week at our main office helping our students overcome barriers to their education, increase their attendance, and give them encouragement on their progress. This was a big job this year with the hardships magnified by COVID. Almaas also helped students apply for available financial assistance, access public housing, and identify resources for food. Her efforts did not stop at COVID issues or other barriers. Other parts of her work helped them put their learning in context and apply lessons to the real world. Almaas assisted some students with reading and understanding sample ballots, reporting issues to the Better Business Bureau, and shared "Healthy Nuggets" of bite-sized information on physical and mental health. Almaas' positive impact wasn't limited to our students. Her expertise also provided opportunities for her to lead training of staff and volunteers related to diversity, equity, bias, and inclusion.
Marcus Haile, Literacy Alliance CEO says, “Thank you, Almaas! You not only assisted our students, but helped us reflect, become more educated individuals and grow into an even stronger team.”
We will miss Almaas and wish her well as she pursues her Master's Degree in Social Work with an emphasis on mental health and substance abuse. You have a helping heart, and we know you will be a success!
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Join Us - Become a Volunteer! |
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· Tutor adult students (age 16 and above) who read below a 9th-grade-level
· Work one-on-one with a student, teach/assist in a small-group class, assist in the computer lab, or lead/support a workshop, and more!
· Help a student build reading, language, and/or math skills, or prepare for the GED®
· Commit to at least 6 months of 1:1 tutoring, or opt for a shorter assignment in a workshop or event.
· Receive online and in-person training, curriculum, materials, and support*
· Must be at least 18 years of age and pass a background screening
· Work at locations across Duval County or tutor online from your own home.
Our Program Coordinator will contact you to attend an Information Session to review requirements and steps to get started. Tutoring not only changes your student’s life, it will also change yours!
*Tutor Training can be 100% online, or a mix of online and in-person.
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Interested in becoming a volunteer?
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Online Tutor Information Sessions:
- Friday, April 9, 8:30 – 9:15 am
- Tuesday, April 20, 5:30 – 6:15 pm
- Wednesday, May 12, 5:30 – 6:15 pm
- Friday, May 21, 8:30 – 9:15 am
- Tuesday, June 8, 5:30 – 6:15 pm
- Wednesday, June 23, 5:30 – 6:15 pm
Tutor Training
- Saturday, April 24, 9:30 am – 1:30 pm
- Saturday, May 22, 9:30 am – 1:30 pm
- Saturday, June 19, 9:30 am – 1:30 pm
*Note: Tutor Training may be completed 100% on-line if you prefer.
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WELCOME AND THANK YOU NEW TUTORS! |
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Aicha Ouzia
Alexa Quaritius
Amy Ferguson
Britney Atkins
Chandra Jordan
Chris Lieberman
Chris Tenore
Ethan Weintraub
Honya Elfayoumy
Linda Gooden
Markiesha Wilson
Mary Coleman
Roberta Cirocco
Robert Fenwick
Sherri Luke
Tonya Moore
Yonni Jefferson
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Our mission is to increase literacy awareness and improve adult literacy in northeast Florida through formal instruction and volunteer-based tutoring.
(904) 238-9000
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*The Literacy Alliance of Northeast Florida is partially supported by: United Way of Northeast Florida and the City of Jacksonville* |
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