The Open Book - Masthead
March 2014

Inside
The Open Book

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LVA Awarded ConnectME Technology Grant

Volunteering with RSVP

Growth and Changes at the LVA Literacy Labs

Onward to College Success: The Onward Program

Quotes of the Month

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R-E-A-D-I-N-G for A-L-L: LVA's 7th Annual Spring Team Scrabble Tournament!

Frog

We are pleased to announce our 7th annual Spring team Scrabble Tournament! Join us Sunday, March 30th, from 1-4pm at the Senator Inn and Spa, for an afternoon of fun and games—all for a great cause: LVA!

How can you participate?
Play or Volunteer!

Register yourself - or your team of up to four players—by March 24th. The team registration fee is $40; the individual registration fee is $12.

Collect Pledges just like you would for a walk-a-thon. The money raised goes directly into our adult literacy programs, which help members of our local communities. Those who collect the most will win special prizes. There will also be door prizes, a raffle, and a 50-50 drawing!

Play! Hop on over to the Senator Inn and Spa on the 30th and play for the afternoon. Whether you're at the social or competitive level, you're going to have fun!

LVA Awarded ConnectME Technology Grant

Connect ME - Broadband Adoption ProjectLiteracy Volunteers of Greater Augusta is proud to announce that LVA received formal notification on February 4th of 2014 that our proposal submitted to the Department of Education (DOE) ConnectME Technology Grant was selected for funding. We are very excited to have received this grant in the amount of $2500.00. LVA intends to utilize this funding to meet the following three goals:

  1. Expand the information technology infrastructure of LVA in order to effectively utilize broadband internet services for enrichment, improved access to services and for increased individual client and community economic development.
  2. Ensure adequate information technology for training and professional development.
  3. Ensure adequate educational hardware and software availability for use in instruction by expanding the number of iPads available for student/tutor use in order to improve general literacy skills as well as technology literacy skills. iPads may be used in direct instruction of students through the deployment of various educational "apps" as well as utilizing the e-reader apps with enhanced literacy supports embedded.

Additionally as part of this grant, DOE, in collaboration with the Connect ME Authority, will:

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Volunteering with RSVP

RSVP - Lead with ExperienceRSVP, the Retired Senior Volunteer Program, is a volunteer service and community outreach program designed for people 55 and older. Its volunteers serve within a number of non-profit settings and community programs, with a focus on healthy futures, community impact programs, and veterans and military families. MaineGeneral RSVP (our local RSVP) serves Kennebec, Somerset, and Franklin counties. RSVP is a part of the Senior Corps program and is administered by the Corporation for National and Community Service.

RSVP coordinates between the volunteers and the service program-LVA, in our case - to best serve both the programs and the volunteers; volunteer interests and abilities are used to match volunteers with programs. Benefits of enrolling in the RSVP program include accident/liability insurance and travel reimbursement, while being a Literacy Volunteer with us.

If this sounds like something you would like to do, please call the office and speak to our executive director, Ginny Marriner. She would be happy to tell you more about the program, and she can help you sign up for it, too!

For more information on RSVP, visit the MaineGeneral RSVP website

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Growth and Changes at the LVA Literacy Labs

Community OutreachIn February, LVA signed a new Community Literacy Lab Site Agreement with the Goodwill Lifeworks Program. We are very excited about this opportunity for LVA to increase our presence in the community and serve clients from some of our colleague agencies.

We began with three young people coming to 12 Spruce Street on Tuesday mornings on February 11th. They are all very excited to be learning in our welcoming environment. These young people are meeting with new volunteer, Ellen Beerits, who just completed training in January. Ellen was mentored through her first session by veteran Literacy Lab Reading Coach Joan Ireland, and now Ellen is making a difference in the lives of these young people. Joan is continuing with the Literacy Lab for the Kennebec Behavioral Health Capitol Clubhouse and has served over 15 clients this year in that program.

LVA's presence at the Augusta Warming Center this winter has been very successful, with several patrons planning on continuing with tutoring services after the center closes on March 30th. Our Director, Ginny Marriner, met many wonderful and caring people during her volunteering at the Warming Center.

We also want to thank Luella Weeks for her dedication to the Augusta Food Bank. Her presence there was very greatly appreciated. LVA will no longer continue a physical presence at the Food Bank, but we do have an agreement to have our promotional material available at the Food Bank.

We are in the developmental stages of an agreement with LINC Wellness & Recovery Center to provide a Community Literacy Lab for their members as well. We are hoping this collaboration will be a multifaceted arrangement. LINC members will be scheduling a site visit at LVA in March. If anyone is interested in volunteering to support LINC members with Literacy, please let Director Ginny Marriner know.

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Onward to College Success: The Onward Program

University of MaineThe Onward Program, through the University of Maine, allows students to apply for and complete a four year college program when they may not otherwise be able to. Founded in 1970, the program started as a way to help students who might attend college due to academic or financial circumstances—Onward students may lack academic credentials for a traditional application, or may otherwise need more help to succeed. Since its founding, the Onward program has helped hundreds of people to achieve their college degrees at UMaine.

For more information about the Onward Program, including class offerings, information on financial aid, and further support offered to Onward students, visit the Onward Program's website.

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Quotes of the Month:

"We shouldn't teach great books; we should teach a love of reading."
- B.F. Skinner

"Reading gives us a place to go when we have to stay where we are."
- Anonymous

"Allowing yourself to stop reading a book -at page 25, 50, or even, less frequently, a few chapters from the end - is a rite of passage in a reader's life, […] the moment at which you look at yourself and announce 'Today I am an adult. I can make my own decisions.'"
- Sara Nelson

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