Newsletter
As a supporter of Literacy Partners we know that you care about our mission, and we are truly grateful. We devote considerable time to strategically plan for our future and want to invite you to invest in it.
Literacy Partners publishes four newsletters a year to keep donors and other constituents updated on our activities. Newsletters often include articles by staff, students, or board members, as well as information on upcoming events and memorable quotes from our adult learners. Our latest newsletter is always available on our website, or you can request to be added to our mailing list through the link below.
Below are excerpts from the Spring 2008 print newsletter of Literacy Partners. Click here to read the full newsletter in PDF format (3 MB). The previous newsletter can be read by clicking here.
If you would like to receive future newsletters, please sign up for our mailing list on our contact page.
From the Food Pyramid to MoMA: This Family Literacy Center Has It All
By Instructor Laura Dotterer
The English for Speakers of Other Languages/Family Literacy class at the Women’s Housing and Economic Development Corporation (WHEDCo) Learning Center is compromised of a vibrant and joyful group of women. On any given day, one can experience the energy of mothers eagerly practicing their skills in English, while their children play or take part in classroom lessons. The students are incredible individuals, representative of countries throughout Africa and Latin America, including Senegal, Mali, Mexico, Dominican Republic and Ecuador. The student levels are also very diverse, ranging from beginning literacy to high intermediates. But the students all share a common goal: to improve their speaking and literacy skills in while helping to improve the lives of their children and families. When asked why they want to learn English, the common responses include “I want to help my children with their homework,” “I want to be able to speak to the doctor in English,” or “I want to be able to speak with my children’s teachers.”
From the Executive Director
By Executive Director Susan B. McLean
For Literacy Partners, our brand is the manifestation of our work and our mission. It is what people say about us and is impacted by everything we do and everyone we touch. It is who we are and how we are perceived. Our strategy is carefully managing our brand to build our reputation while ensuring that our words and deeds align in a meaningful, sustainable way – with each one of our stakeholders.
In January, with the support of the Taproot Foundation and our Board of Directors, we embarked upon an eight month journey to define and craft a brand strategy and new visual identity. This fall you will see the results of our work begin to unfold. Most noticeably, we have a new look, represented in the new logo and tag line reaffirming our beliefs.
During the upcoming months, we will be reframing the issues surrounding illiteracy so that our message is clear: Illiteracy is a curable social issue and Literacy Partners, as a highly effective and enduring provider of adult literacy instruction, can help in the fight to ameliorate this key social problem which leads to intergenerational illiteracy, increased crime and poverty, welfare dependency, and poor health. With over 44 million Americans reading below the 5th grade reading level, illiteracy is at epidemic proportions. In New York alone, over 1.5 million adults are in need of basic literacy skills.
Literacy Partners: A Great Investment
As a supporter of Literacy Partners we know that you care about our mission, and we are truly grateful. We devote considerable time to strategically invite you to invest in it. One way to do this is through a Charitable Gift Annuity – an investment that provides you with a high rate of return and a significant income tax deduction. A “win-win” for all and simple to achieve.
Establishing a Literacy Partners Charitable Gift Annuity is an agreement between you and Literacy Partners. In exchange for you irrevocable gift of cash or appreciated securities, Literacy Partners agrees to pay, usually at a rate better than is commercially available, to annuitants your name, a fixed sum each year for life. Payments begin at 65; donors 65 and older receive immediate income. Donors under the age of 65 can use gift annuities as a retirement planning tool, with payments starting at age 65.
