20 years

The more things change, the more they stay the same – or it might seem that way to organizers and volunteers with Richland County’s local literacy program, which celebrated its 20th anniversary this year. For example: Today’s $700 billion taxpayer bailout of bankrupt Wall Street firms and the clamor of a presidential election, preceded by hurricanes and other natural disasters, are all eerily similar to events 20 years ago when the literacy program got its start. At that time, another presidential election was under way, a major drought had hit much of the country and U.S. taxpayers were reeling from a $200 billion bailout of the savings and loan industry.

But consider what happened in the interim: the fall of communism, the end of the Cold War, and, of course, the arrival of the World Wide Web and an astounding array of technological tools that have made our lives infinitely easier and at the same time infinitely more complicated. The list is long: personal computers, mobile phones, mp3 players, digital cameras, web browsers, e-commerce and instant messaging. Posting an e-mail, downloading a file, googling a question, shopping online, sending text messages or any number of other tasks that have now become routine, weren’t available 20 years ago.

“Imagine trying to ‘catch up’ with technology if you weren’t raised with it?” Learning Volunteers for Adults-Richland County Program coordinator, Sue Zimmerman asked. “Now imagine trying to catch up if you were already having trouble with reading or math, or had a physical or learning disability, or were from another country and didn’t know the language.”

Literacy today is not just a question of whether you can pronounce the words on a page – if it ever was, Zimmerman noted. Instead literacy must be measured by whether individuals can truly comprehend what they’re reading and can ultimately do the kinds of tasks needed to survive and prosper in today’s fast-changing world, she explained.

LVA-Richland County has recognized that distinction since its inception in 1988, and for the past 20 years has been working to help area adults in Richland County improve their basic reading and life skills. This past October the program marked its 20th anniversary, and Zimmerman and longtime LVA-Richland County board member Beth Redlin compiled a history of the organization which they presented at the group’s annual meeting held earlier this year.

“It’s hard to believe that it’s been 20 years,” Redlin noted. “It’s definitely a testament to the quality of the program and the support of the community, as well as to the remarkable dedication of Sue and all our tutors. Unfortunately, it’s also evidence of the ongoing need.”

History, accomplishments

Zimmerman, who’s been the program’s part-time coordinator since 1992, noted that the program has served more than 250 students over the past 20 years, beginning with just 25 in the first five years combined (from 1988 to 1992). However, as people learned more about the literacy program, and more importantly about who can participate and benefit from participation, those numbers increased substantially, she said, noting that from 1993 to 2003, 142 students were served: 101 in the Basic Reading program (which has also included family and workplace literacy components over the years), 31 in the English as a Second Language (ESL) program and 10 in computer skills. And in just the last five years, the program has served 109 students, 15 in the ESL program and 94 in Basic Reading.

With only a part-time coordinator employed under the program since 1992, LVA-Richland County relies on trained volunteers to handle the confidential one-on-one tutoring tasks, Zimmerman said, adding that the program has had 51 tutors volunteer with the program over the past 20 years, 24 of those serving two or more students; six of those serving 5 or more students and 2 of those serving 20 or more. “They’ve given hundreds of hours,” Zimmerman said. “They are the major reason the program exists and has accomplished what it has.”

According to Zimmerman, student accomplishments under the program include: six ESL students have gotten their citizenship, 14 students have completed their GEDs, four have entered college and two have graduated. Several others have gotten their driver’s licenses and one obtained a commercial driver’s license. And that doesn’t count the many students working to improve their general life skills whether in reading, on the computer or in math or other areas, Zimmerman said.

The program has also garnered attention nationally over the years, according to Zimmerman. In 1997, Richland County ESL student Mario Montana was selected as the 1997 Ruth J. Colvin SL Student of the Year by the national LVA organization, beating out 61,000 other nominees for the honor. To earn the award, Mario worked with his tutor Kris Gifford to learn English, get his GED, get his citizenship and then start two new businesses in Sidney. A former teacher in Mexico, he ultimately went on to college at Dickinson State University, graduating with an education degree in May 2000 and is now teaching at the junior college level.

In May 2001, the program also instituted a unique health literacy effort with the aid of a $1,000 grant from the Foundation for Community Care. The funds were used to develop a Universal Health History form, that when completed, provided an individual’s full medical background. A Personal Health Worksheet was added in 2002 to ensure people have all the information they need in hand when visiting their health care professionals. The forms can be used to list symptoms, previous illnesses and surgeries, health insurance information and current medications, herbals and vitamins being taken, prior to a doctor’s visit, Zimmerman said, adding that Richland LVA tutors were available to help students in filling out the forms, which were also distributed through the local newspaper and on the public library’s Web site.

Both efforts earned the program accolades, with the Universal Health History form recognized as a “promising practice” on the national LVA Web site, and the Personal Health Worksheet featured in the 2003 winter/spring edition of the ProLiteracy America newsletter, she noted.

The local literacy effort was also among the first in the country to complete a lengthy program accreditation process in 2002 (and again in 2006) that it passed with flying colors, Redlin said.

Over the years funding for the program has come through federal Department of Education grants (to establish the program), the Adult Basic Education program at Dawson Community College (which has provided ongoing support for many years), Richland County and numerous private donations and grants. Community support has been strong for the program, Zimmerman and Redlin both noted, with key gifts including rent-free office space, phones, Internet and copier access from the Sidney Public Library, furniture donated by Wells Fargo, and meeting space currently provided by Crestwood Inn. “The Library has been a partner since the beginning,” Redlin noted, “and meeting space for the board and tutors and students was also provided previously by the Richland County Housing Authority at its Sunset apartments.”

“Among the many grants we have received are those from the Northwest Bookfest, Foundation for Community Care, WalMart Foundation, OPI Training grants, American Association for Lutherans matching funds, Denim Days, and numerous other community group and business donors,” Zimmerman added. “The community has always stepped up whenever we’ve asked for their support, and we thank everyone for helping us reach this milestone.”