3 minute read
Literacy Project Offers Resources to Schools
Our parish has a long history of providing assistance to those in need throughout our local community. For Christian Connection, addressing literacy was a natural next step in helping our neighbors to improve their reading skills. Imagine how difficult your life would be with inadequate reading skills, when literacy is key to your success in school and employment.
“We consider the ability to read to be critical to an individual’s financial success,” Elizabeth says. “If I have someone who comes to Christian Connection unable to read, we immediately talk to them about GED and reading programs available in the community.”
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When Elizabeth began researching literacy, she found she already had valuable connections. Two parish volunteers, Joseph Russ and June Jovero, both had family and friends in Liberia, Africa, and the Philippines. The two volunteers were able to offer a firsthand look at how illiteracy perpetuates the cycle of poverty in their countries. Through those connections, St. Michael began a literacy program that collected and sent school supplies to Africa and the Philippines. More than just supplies, the program contributed to a lasting change for the students in the schools.
When COVID-19 hit our country, the news was full of how virtual learning was affecting our school children and that there is a need for literacy outreach here in our own area. She learned from a teacher in the parish that schools in poorer areas simply do not have enough funding to keep their classrooms and libraries stocked with current, quality books. Mary Morehead, a retired reading specialist, went to four nearby elementary schools to talk with teachers to see how we could help. Through this partnership, the schools put together Amazon wish lists and asked for help to pay for reading materials the teachers and their libraries needed.
“What we do at St. Michael is unique,” Elizabeth says. “Our poverty strategy is not just giving a fish, but we also teach them how to fish, give them the equipment and access to the pond. Teaching students how to fish (learning to read) is just another step that allows students to access the pond of higher education and advanced training and to reach employment that pays well. We even assist with discrimination in the workplace.”
Parishioners can help by donating to the schools through the Amazon wish lists, but Elizabeth also encourages us to all read with the children. Above all, thank a teacher if you can read.
