DAR Austin Colony Chapter | Literacy Promotion Committee (2020-2021)

Carolyn M. Appleton Literacy Promotion Committee Chair | Austin Colony Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution June 2021 DAR: Shine a Light on Literacy "If a nation expects to be free and ignorant at the same time, it expects what never was and never will be. Where the press is free and every man is able to read, there, and there alone, democracy is safe."

- Thomas Jefferson The Literacy Promotion Committee, first established in 1989, promotes adult literacy and involvement in literacy programs for children and adults. It celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. The committee’s goal is to Shine a Light on Literacy as we examine the causes of illiteracy and how we can help fulfill the objectives of this committee.

From the Library Journal: “According to the National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES), 21 percent of adults in the United States (about 43 million) fall into the illiterate/functionally illiterate category. Nearly two-thirds of fourth graders read below grade level, and the same number graduate from high school still reading below grade level. This puts the United States well behind several other countries in the world, including Japan, all the Scandinavian countries, Canada, the Republic of Korea, and the UK.” Across the country, Daughters are meeting the challenge and helping those with significant literacy needs to learn to read, to gain self-respect and confidence, and to reach life goals that otherwise would not be obtainable.

This document provides some ideas for the Austin Colony Chapter to consider. There are simple ways we can each support literacy efforts, like donating to the City of Austin library system via our utility statements each month (online form provided by Austin Energy). But there are also other nonprofit organizations working to support literacy for people of all ages across our region and beyond.

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As for me, personally, I am a monthly donor to BookSpring.

The University of Texas notes, “Reading aloud to children before they can even talk is one of the most important elements in literacy development. It develops important skills like recognizing letters and story elements, and it helps children understand that printed type represents the spoken word. Reading aloud also benefits school-age children as they build the foundations of lifelong learning.”

Kindly take a few minutes to review the following pages. Clearly, COVID-19 has hindered our ability to meet in-person (unless fully vaccinated), and to volunteer in-person (some organizations remain hesitant). But this does not stop us from contributing to literacy in our community on our own! And if you volunteer, please let me know so your good work can be recognized and reported at future meetings.

Thank you.

Carolyn M. Appleton carolyn@carolynmappleton.com

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Austin Public Library It is still true that you can donate to Austin Energy’s Parks and Libraries Fund when you pay your bill online.

Austin Energy e-bills invite you to fill in a donation amount for Parks and Libraries as you check out. These donations support Austin Parks and the Austin Public Library. The Library uses the funds to add eBooks, eMagazines, streaming video and downloadable music to the collection. “Every dollar expands the Virtual Library for everyone in the community.”

Regarding Austin Public Library: “in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Austin Public Library has put a hold on the adult volunteer program. The library will not be able to process new volunteer applications until volunteer activities have resumed.”

BookSpring BookSpring donations focus on covering the cost of postage and shipping to support its primary mission: to build home libraries for a lifelong love of reading.

You can also help in other ways. “We are looking for children and adults of all ages to create written or video Book Reviews for our website and social media! Help share your love of reading with other kids and families.” To read more, follow this link.

I have submitted a video book review to BookSpring, and if approved it will appear on the YouTube channel.

To see the video – recorded using Vimeo – follow this link. There on my profile page on Vimeo, you will see our chapter logo on a video (1:47). Click on that one to watch. If anyone would like to record their own book review video for BookSpring, I can help you learn how to use Vimeo for that purpose.

CTN: Community Tech Network CTN’s mission is to unite organizations and volunteers to transform lives through digital literacy.

“We believe that access to the Internet is a human right, and that those without the skills to use a computer are at risk of social and economic disadvantage. Public services and essential information are increasingly moving online, and 3

many people are unable to access those resources. While many organizations are working to spread Internet connectivity to the underserved, access to technology is only a partial solution. Connectivity needs to be coupled with digital skills training that is relevant and delivered in a way that won’t intimidate the adult learner.”

We have learned through the COVID-19 experience that digital literacy is urgently required for all citizens to be able to function effectively in society going forward. “We have an urgent need for bilingual volunteers, especially those fluent in Spanish or Cantonese, to teach digital skills to homebound seniors. These new digital skills will allow them to: o o o o

Access telemedicine Refill their prescriptions Connect with family and friends Receive important news and information.”

CTN staff trainers provide the initial basic skills and safety training. Volunteers are needed to coach and remotely reinforce these new digital skills. “We ask for a commitment of one hour a week for 12 weeks.

Intermediate level digital skills, a computer, and broadband are required.”

I know the Executive Director of CTN, and if you would like for me to ask her to speak to our chapter at a future meeting, I would be happy to do so. My understanding is that here locally, the senior population is the main focus of their work.

Inside Books Project Inside Books Project is an Austin-based volunteer organization that sends free books and educational materials to Texas prisoners. “Inside Books is the only books-to-prisoners program in Texas, where over 140,000 people are incarcerated. Inside Books Project works to promote reading, literacy, and education among incarcerated individuals and to educate the general public on issues of incarceration.”

Inside Books Project is currently closed to in-person volunteering due to COVID-19 concerns. However, donations of books and funds are always welcome.

ONE Campaign ONE Campaign notes, “over half the world’s 10-year-olds could be unable to read and understand a sentence by the end of this year.”

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Further, “To arrest this crisis, governments must urgently step up and invest in the future of children around the world and ensure that budgets are spent efficiently and in a targeted manner. This virus has taken enough from us already, it must not take the futures of millions of children as well.” Additional information can be found here.

ONE Campaign is an advocacy organization rather than a fundraising organization. “Whether lobbying political leaders in world capitals or running cutting-edge grassroots campaigns, ONE pressures governments to do more to fight extreme poverty and preventable disease, particularly in Africa, and empowers citizens to hold their governments to account.” You can tweet, post on Facebook, write letters to the editor and more! Sign-up for updates.

I have been a ONE Campaign volunteer for ten years now. Volunteering is easy because it is mostly online and focuses on urging elected officials to support legislation at the national level. I am sure your help would be very welcome.

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