Fall Campaign a Success!

We are starting off the new year with a piece of very good news!

Thanks to our loyal donors and tutors, we exceeded our goal of raising $10,000 through our fall fundraising campaign. As of January 1, we have raised $10,070 and the donations are still rolling in! Our tutors alone contributed more than $1,000, on top of everything they already contribute to our agency and our students!

Thank you to everyone who helped make this year's campaign a success! Thanks to you, we can continue to provide our students with the resources and the individual attention they need to make real and lasting changes in their lives through literacy!

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The High Point Office is Moving!

Reading Connections' High Point office is relocating from the Employment Security Commission to the newly renovated High Point Public Library! As of January 11, we are now located at:

High Point Public Library
901 N. Main Street
High Point, NC

Our mailing address will be P.O. Box 2530, High Point, NC, 27261

We will have a new phone number soon, but for the time being High Point program staff can be reached on the cell phone number: 336-404-3474.

We are very excited about the move, which will allow us to reach even more students and will provide the Library with access to an adult literacy program for their clients.

Reading Connections' program staff will occupy temporary space at the library while we wait for our new office space to be completed. We are currently raising funds to pay for the re-development. The Hayden-Harman Foundation has offered a $10,000 challenge grant toward the estimated $40,000 construction cost. If you would like to make a donation towards this exciting new space, please click the "donate now" button on the sidebar (or on our web site) or send your contribution to 122 N. Elm Street, Suite 520, Greensboro, NC 27401.

We will continue to maintain a presence at the ESC for the time being to help students make the transition to the new space.

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Reading Connections Celebrates 20 Years!

2010 marks Reading Connections' 20th anniversary! Our agency was founded in 1990 by Mary Adams Stephens and Cynthia Doyle in response to the serious need for adult literacy services in our community. Over the years we have grown, expanding through all of Guilford County and helping thousands of adults learn to read and meet their goals.

To mark this milestone and all of the agency's achievements, we have exciting events planned throughout the year. Keep your eyes open for details, and contact mray@readingconnections.org if you would like to become involved in planning our 20th anniversary celebrations.

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High Point Community Foundation Supports Literacy

Reading Connections is proud to be the recipient of a $10,000 grant from the High Point Community Foundation. The grant will support our activities as the primary provider of adult literacy services in the community. Over the past 5 years, Reading Connections has served 516 students and trained 173 volunteer tutors in High Point. We are so grateful to the Community Foundation for their financial support and their recognition of the importance of adult literacy for the High Point community!

Reading Connections Executive Director Jennifer Gore,
High Point Program Coordinator Kyri Murdough,
High Point Community Foundation President Paul Lessard,
High Point Community Foundation Chair AB Henley

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Human Race 2010

Reading Connections is planning on participating in The Human Race 2010. We will be forming a team made up of staff, volunteers, students, Board members, and other supporters. This is a great way to make a connection with your student and other nonprofit agencies. Lace up your tennis shoes and join Reading Connections for the Annual Human Race Walk! You can walk or sponsor a walker on the Reading Connections team.

Mark your calendars now - the race will be held March 20, 2010 starting at Grimsley High School in Greensboro. Contact Rhiannon Kelly (rkelly@readingconnections.org) to join the Reading Connections walking team!

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Barnes & Noble Fundraiser

Want to indulge your book-buying habit and raise funds for Reading Connections at the same time?

On Saturday, February 13th, Barnes & Noble will donate a portion of every book sale accompanied by a voucher to Reading Connections. (You can download and print the voucher from our website, www.readingconnections.org). The voucher can be redeemed at any Barnes & Noble!

The Barnes & Noble at Friendly Center in Greensboro will also host a book signing by local authors Carol Andrews, author and WFMY news anchor; Carole Boston Weatherford, New York Times best-selling poet and children's author; and Cameron Kent, novelist and anchor for WXII.

Spread the word and forward the voucher to your friends and family!

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Office Closed for MLK Holiday

Our offices will be closed January 18th in observation of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday.

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Health Screening at Dega Alliance Church

Greensboro is home to the largest population of Montagnard/Dega immigrants in the United States. Formerly from the highlands of central Vietnam, many Montagnard residents fought alongside the U.S. in the Vietnam war and fled to the U.S. as refugees. Over the past 20 years, over 5,000 Montagnards have resettled in Guilford County. Many face severe health problems as they attempt to integrate their native diets and customs into their new home and culture.

To help provide health information to our Montagnard residents, Reading Connections, in partnership with UNC-Greensboro, conducted a blood pressure screening at the Dega Alliance Church on January 10th. Over 80 people had their blood pressure measured and received health information to help them manage their blood pressure and overall nutrition.

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Upcoming Tutor Training Dates

Greensboro:

Orientation:	Tuesday, January 12	5:00 - 6:15 p.m.	Self Help Building 122 N. Elm Street 5th floor conference room
Session 1:	Wednesday, January 13	5:30 - 8:30 p.m.	Self Help Building 122 N. Elm Street
Session 2:	Thursday, January 14	5:30 - 8:30 p.m.	Self Help Building 122 N. Elm Street

High Point

All sessions will be held on the 3rd Floor of the High Point Library in the Board Room.

Orientation	Tuesday, February 2	5:00 - 6:00 pm
Session I	Thursday, February 4	5:30 - 8:00 pm
Session 2	Thursday, February 9	5:30 - 8:00 pm
Session 3	Thursday, February 11	5:30 - 8:00 pm

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Volunteer Instructors Needed

Both our Greensboro and High Point offices need volunteer instructors for small group classes:

Greensboro:

ESOL classes (beginning and advanced)
Korean United Methodist Church
2504 East Woodlyn Way, Greensboro
Thursdays 9:30 - 11:00 am

ESOL weekend classes
Location and time TBD

High Point:

Workplace Essential Skills
Employment Security Commission
919 Phillips Avenue, High Point
Mondays 1:00 - 4:00 pm

GED Preparation (multiple classes)
Fairview Elementary School
608 Fairview Street, High Point
Day and time TBD

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Flexible Tutoring Opportunities

Do you want to volunteer, but your schedule is erratic? Not sure how much time you have to tutor each week? We have the perfect opportunity for you (or someone you know): tutor in our Learning Lab.

Learning Lab is our new program to provide tutoring for students without a permanent 1:1 match. Volunteers sign up for times when they are free each week, and students make appointments during those staffed times. You may be working with a different student every week, or you may find a student whose schedule matches yours.

This program has helped us provide instruction for the 75 students on our waiting list, and we need more tutors! If you are interested in staffing our Learning Lab, please contact Rhiannon Kelly in Greensboro at 230-2223 or rkelly@readingconnections.org, or Kyri Murdough in High Point at 404-3474 or kmurdough@readingconnections.org.

We also have a need for math tutors as we have had numerous requests from students for tutoring in math. Basic math is an important part of literacy, which is defined as “an individual's ability to read, write, and speak English, compute and solve problems, at levels of proficiency necessary to function on the job, in the family of the individual, and in society.” Many of our students need to improve their basic math skills in order to pass the GED or just to perform basic tasks like balancing a checkbook. Classes meet for 1-2 hours per week. If you are interested in serving as a math instructor, please contact Micah Guindon at 230-2223 or mguindon@readingconnections.org.

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Hello and Goodbye!

Reading Connections bids a fond farewell to our volunteers from ECPI:

Katrina Frazier
Andre Jackson
Don Parsons
TerryAnn Powell-Joyner
Mike Robinson
Elizabeth Trechel

For the past year, these hard-working students have kept our office running smoothly and provided caring, high-quality service to our students. We offer them our sincere thanks and our best wishes!

We also welcome our new Administrative Assistant, Laura DeMaria. Please take a moment to introduce yourself the next time your visit our Greensboro office.

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New Tutor Report Form

In response to some new program requirements and feedback from tutors, we have created a new monthly tutor report form. You can download it at our website. (Contact Rhiannon Kelly at rkelly@readingconnections.org if you need the login name and password to access the tutors-only section of the website.)

If you are an active tutor, please remember to turn in your Monthly Tutoring Report, which is due on the 5th of each month.  If you have done so already, thank you!  You can submit these hours by email, mail, fax, or phone.  Call the office if you have questions about reporting your tutoring hours. Remember that Reading Connections' state funding depends on being able to demonstrate success. That includes the number of instructional hours per student. If we don't get your tutor reports, we can't record student hours and are likely to get reduced state funding. Please be sure to turn these in monthly!

We'd also like to direct you to a great website with professional development resources for adult educators: www.professionalstudiesae.org. The site has a rich variety of free and self-paced courses for instructors and tutors.

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We are always interested in your feedback. Do you have questions or concerns? Please contact the office.

Sincerely,
Reading Connections Staff

Greensboro Office
122 N. Elm St., Ste. 520
Greensboro, NC 27401
info@readingconnections.org
Phone: (336)230-2223
Fax: (336) 230-2203

High Point Office
901 N. Main Street
High Point, NC 27262

P.O. Box 2530
High Point, NC 27261

info@readingconnections.org
Phone (336) 404-3474
Stay tuned for our new phone number at the library!

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