Summer 2013
Inside
|
By now, many of you know that LVA has moved! Midway through April, we moved to a second-floor office (in the same building) which has afforded us the opportunity to expand our library, our classroom spaces, and the offices where we do all the behind-the-scenes work that keeps LVA running and our tutors and students actively engaged.
A dedicated group of board members, volunteers, tutors, and students worked hard to move us from the first floor to the second. Thank you for making our transition so smooth and quick! We also give a huge thank-you to our executive director, Jenny Small, for marshalling the troops and finding extra help for moving the big (and heavy!) furniture.
Everyone who has visited the new office has been very complimentary! (We love it when people come to visit the office, so come and see us if you haven’t already!) One of the biggest changes we have made is to place our library of materials in a central room. That way, when we have more than one set of tutors and students in at the same time, everyone can access the books, magazines, newspapers, and games without interrupting someone else’s lesson. The library also doubles as a meeting space for our board, for tutor support workshops, and for our tutor trainings. In addition to the library, we now have two classroom spaces for our tutors and students to use, and there’s plenty of office space for our hardworking staff as well.
We are now unpacked, and, as the weeks go by, we continue to arrange and organize.
One of the best things about our new space is that there is room for us to grow. We hope our groups of tutors and students will continue to grow right along with us, because the people we connect with are what makes LVA so successful. Thank you for being a part of Literacy Volunteers!
More photos of the new office space (click on the images to view enlargements):
LVA has recently received a generous gift bequeathed by the family of Wardner and Frederika Gilroy of Bridgton/Fryeburg, Maine. The gift will be used to improve instructional services to students in LVA’s adult literacy program.
Wardner Gilroy, who passed away in December 2012, was a native of Long Island, NY and had a long career as a chemist for the Sperry Rand Corporation. His wife, a native of the Netherlands, died earlier that year. Their son, Foster Gilroy, predeceased both of his parents.
Mr. Gilroy’s intellectual curiosity and enjoyment of opera and traveling were a joy shared by Frederika, his wife of 65 years. Mrs. Gilroy was known for her energy, intellectual curiosity and quest for life. Her passion for people, interest in nature, history and literature kept her fully involved until her last day.
The Gilroys were both very active members of their church community, the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of the Eastern Slopes. There were many members of their church community who looked after them after the death of their son, as the Gilroys lived alone in a home in the wooded slopes in Fryeburg. Foster Gilroy died in June 2002 at the age of 50. A native of New York, Foster had moved to the Fryeburg area to live with his parents after the death of his wife.
LVA will use some of the funds to purchase needed instructional technology for the students enrolled in their adult literacy programs. “We plan to purchase several iPads and associated software that can be used to assist our adult student improve their literacy skills,” said John Brandt, secretary of the LVA Board of Directors. “Several of our students have disabilities that have affected their ability to learn to read. The assistive technology built into the iPads will be very helpful for these students and others who have struggled to learn to read,” Brandt continued.
LVA also plans to dedicate one of their classrooms in honor of the Gilroy Family. A formal dedication and celebration of the classroom will be on September 10th, 2013, from 5-7pm. The festivities will start with a wine and cheese reception at five, followed by the dedication at five-thirty.
Photos courtesy of The Bridgton News. Information gathered from The Bridgton News and the Conway Daily Sun.
Beginning May 30th, the LVA office will be starting on a slightly different schedule of summer hours!
One of the most exciting things about the new schedule is that we will be open on Fridays as well.
And, of course, you can always call and make an appointment, if you are unable to visit during our posted hours.
Be sure to keep an eye out for more changes via our blog and Facebook page. We will announce any further new hours as far in advance as we can!
Tutor TrainingsAlthough summer has just begun, we are already planning our fall tutor trainings. Both LVA and LVW (Literacy Volunteers Waterville) will be running training workshops this fall. To allow new tutors the most opportunity to train and volunteer, LVA and LVW welcome participants from either service area—this means that you can do the training in either Augusta or Waterville and then go on to volunteer with either affiliate. LVA and LVW provide excellent training and work hard to support to all their tutors during their entire volunteering experience.
For more information on the tutor training workshops, please call either LVA or LVW today!
LVA Training
Orientation Sept 12
Training Sept 17 and 19
(207) 626-3440
LVW Training
Orientation August 26th
Training Sept 3 and 5
(207) 873-7786
LVA will be holding two family literacy days this summer at the Bread of Life shelter. Last year’s events (Rainbow Fish and If You Give A Moose a Muffin) were so successful that we’re doing it again this year! Affiliate Director Jenny Small is working closely with Pat Finale at the Bread of Life Shelter to organize and coordinate these very special days. Hats off to the both of you!
Speaking of hats--On July 18th, we will read “Caps for Sale” by Esphyr Slobodkina. We will have snacks, activities, and a language arts lesson, all based on the book.
On August 15th we’ll take a walk on the wild side with language arts, activities and snacks related to Maurice Sendak’s book “Where The Wild Things Are.”
And, of course, we will be throwing some water balloons on both days!
These family literacy days are being held for guests of the shelter, but volunteers are more than welcome! Please volunteer if you can - it will be lots of fun!
Quotes of the Month:
"If one reads enough books, one has a fighting chance. Or better, one's chances of survival increase with each book read."
- Sherman Alexie
"Books can be dangerous. The best ones shoe be labeled, 'This can change your life.'"
- Anonymous