Happy Holidays
from
Greenville Literacy Association
December 2023 | Volume 1 | Issue 3
GLA is Closed for the Holidays, December 20 - January 2
Winter Class Sessions Begin January 8th
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Enriching Lives This Holiday Season |
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Dear Friends of GLA,
"9 out of 10 adults struggle with health literacy." When we increase basic literacy rates, we improve the health of our community. (2023, World Health Organization)
Narcisa Tufekcic focused on a Benjamin Franklin quote, "You can do anything you set your mind to", to stay motivated while working on her GED diploma. Narcisa was born and raised in Bosnia and Herzegovina. She came from a middle-class family and found it challenging to pursue her educational goals due to the family’s restricted finances.
However, Narcisa possesses an honest and strong work ethic which she recognizes as one of her greatest strengths, and managed to graduate from the Economics and Marketing School in Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina at a young age. She also completed a 9-month-long Hairdresser intensive program and worked as a Hairdresser for 2 years.
Narcisa’s desire for a higher education brought her to the United States of America at age 20, where she discovered she would have to put most of her education on hold to learn English and adapt to the culture. Nevertheless, Narcisa completed one year of a Pharmacy Technician program and worked for a retail Pharmacy for almost five years. She lived in New Jersey, Florida, and North Carolina before settling in South Carolina where she currently lives with her husband and two children.
A few years ago, when visiting Greenville Technical College to inquire about how to further her education, Narcisa was told she would need to obtain her GED if she wanted to continue with college and recommended Greenville Literacy Association.
“My time at GLA was a great learning experience. The tutors and staff were very professional, helpful, inspiring, and always understanding of my scheduling needs. GLA is the program to go with if you want to get your GED diploma!” Narcisa completed her GED on December 1, 2023. She plans to go back to Greenville Technical College to continue her education in teaching and become a 5K-First grade teacher to help young kids build a solid foundation for a better future.
“Thank you, GLA, for all your support, understanding, and encouragement when I needed it the most!”
Our team at GLA makes every attempt to celebrate each positive destination of our learners, volunteers, and staff. While there is always a lot of work to do, we are never too busy to get to know our learners, and remember that our mission to serve our students comes before anything.
By visiting our website www.greenvilleliteracy.org or following our social media channels you can read more of our amazing student stories and their transformative journey, allowing you to see firsthand the positive impact of your support.
From our homes to yours, we wish you happy holidays and a New Year of happiness, peace and joy.
With gratitude and enthusiasm,
Victoria Novak
Victoria Novak
Executive Director/CEO
Greenville Literacy Association
Email: victoria.novak@greenvilleliteracy.org
Office: 864-467-3556
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2023 Fall for Literacy Campaign Update
We are at 95% of our goal & our campaign ends December 31st!
We had such a FUN time working toward our fall campaign goal of $33,000 by partnering with Kendra Scott Gives Back, Barnes and Noble, and Grateful Brew for donating a portion of sales proceeds toward our campaign. We appreciate our community partners and we celebrate 91 individual donors who participated, 18 brand new to supporting GLA. Many Board members, stakeholders, and the Greenville Drive provided silent auction items all to increase literacy in Greenville. Our campaign ends on December 31st and we need your help to close the gap by raising $1,575 to reach out Fall for Literacy Campaign goal. Will you consider a one-time or monthly gift of $5, $10, or an increment of your choice to help us achieve our goals and support those who are in most need of education and new opportunities like Narcisa? We appreciate your consideration! To learn more about Ways to Give visit https://www.greenvilleliteracy.org/give/
Thank you for giving and being a literacy champion!
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A Culture of C.A.R.E.
Communication | Accountable | Respect | Empowerment
Our team gathered weekly over a 3-month period reading and working together through Brene' Brown's book, Dare to Lead. The time our team spent together allowed us to learn more about each other and ourselves, how to be more vulnerable and to recognize the armor we use when working through the hard stuff. This was an amazing journey. We were able to start building a strong culture of openness, honesty, curiosity, and active communication. Taking time to practice empathetic listening provided us an opportunity to be more understanding of all our life experiences and respect what each of us brings to the table to work cohesively. We are grateful for all of our friends and community members who donated all of the books and workbooks for our team to have this amazing experience of professional and personal development. We now consistently practice Brown's Clear is Kind model of communication.
Staff member, Brenda Todd's, favorite Brown quote, "When we have the courage to walk into our story and own it, we get to write the ending."
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Celebrations and Community Engagement |
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🥇Congratulations Team GLA for being awarded the 2023 Integrated Education & Training (IET) Award, recognized by the South Carolina Office of Adult Education for our pre-certified nursing program.
Contact Liz Meeker at 864-467-3457! Classes begin January 8th.
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Celebrating one of our own, Tiffany DeMint achieved her Bachelor of Arts with concentrations in Psychology, Criminal Justice, and Professional Development. Tiffany's role at GLA is a Program Development Manager and is an amazing asset to Team GLA!
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With thanks to Hollingsworth Funds for providing a DEI experience to our team members Tiffany DeMint, Victoria Novak, and Candy Ortiz, who attended the 2023 Greenville Chamber of Commerce REDEFINE, Diversity Equity Inclusion Summit.
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Barbara McNamara, Volunteer Trainer & Founder of Building Blocks Phonics |
Barbara McNamara teaches many of our adult learners who test at the Kindergarten reading level and higher, students with the highest need for literacy.
Having previously worked as a Special Education Teacher and Reading Intervention Specialist, teaching reading has always been a passion of hers. As someone who has faced their own struggles with reading due to dyslexia and ADHD, she has a deep passion for providing a secure space for students to learn. In January 2019, she began teaching Building Blocks Phonics basic reading at Greenville Literacy Association. Barbara says, "It has been wonderful to watch students improve their reading, resulting in elevated test scores, but it is an honor to witness their confidence and self-esteem strengthen. Working with the students at GLA has been a truly fulfilling experience."
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Are you ready to be a volunteer teacher or tutor?
Meet Louisa Harris
Volunteer Engagement Coordinator
Learn more about volunteer opportunities by visiting our website.
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How to Get Involved with
GLA's Really Good, Really Big, Really Cheap Book Sale
Year Round
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Drop off your new or gently used donated books at our office at McAlister Square, University Center
- Have a Book Drive with your company, club or community organization.
- Gather a group of friends or colleagues to volunteer at the book sale.
- Volunteer in our Book Room.
All Inquiries should go to Ellen Lane
Thank you for volunteering and being an education champion.
Image: Elliott Davis crew volunteering in the children's section at the 2023 book sale
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Mission Moments:
Coming to America meant a new beginning and Theodore knew how to speak English; therefore, he didn’t waste any time enrolling at GLA to pursue his GED. After easily passing Science, Social Studies, and Math, Theodore faced his biggest challenge: passing the Test’s Reading and Language Arts portion. Just as he began preparing for the RLA exam, his father passed away, requiring him to return to Nigeria to arrange the burial.
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Celebrating Our Students Every Step of the Way!
Whether it is a student passing their final math exam and achieving their SC issued GED diploma, getting together on the weekends for a small group tutoring session or gathering for one of our end-of-session potlucks, we always find a way to celebrate all the positive destinations for our learners.
Based on national literacy rates, 22.4% of South Carolinians are illiterate. By supporting GLA's Adult Basic Education, English proficiency, GED diploma preparation, and College & Career Navigation, you directly help our neighbors toward self-sufficiency.
Thank you for championing our mission of enriching our community by increasing the literacy and employability of our neighbors.
Follow our social media pages to celebrate our students along their educational journey.
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Thank you for being a literacy champion!
Greenville Literacy Association
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