|
|
We are less than one month away from the 14th Annual Authors for Literacy event featuring NY Times bestselling author Silas House!
| |
This event is an Asheville favorite! The evening begins with a reception where you can learn more about literacy in our community, compete to enter a drawing for a unique gift basket and mingle with friends, staff, and the board of Literacy Together.
Guests will enjoy a three-course dinner and hear from one of our students about her experience with Literacy Together. There is an opportunity to participate in a fun, fast-paced, and often hilarious live auction, with all funds going to support our programs. You can even bid on having Silas House join your book club live via Zoom!
The evening culminates with the keynote talk by Silas House, who just won the 2023 Southern Book Prize for his latest work, Lark Ascending. His earlier work, Southernmost, is in pre-production to become a major motion picture!
Learn more about Silas and his many varied accomplishments here, including his experience as an NPR commentator and an executive producer of the award-winning documentary Hillbilly. We will host a special free film screening on April 28 (see info below).
Please plan to join us at the Crowne Plaza on Thursday, May 4!
| |
| Join us for a special free screening of the award-winning documentary Hillbilly
| |
Join us for a special free screening of the award-winning documentary Hillbilly presented by Literacy Together and Buncombe County Public Libraries.
Friday, April 28th
East Asheville Public Library
3 Avon Rd, Asheville 28805
4:30-6:30 pm
Filmmakers Sally Rubin & Ashley York will be joining live via Zoom. Author Silas House is an executive producer and one of the subjects of this documentary. We hope to see you there!
| |
April is National Volunteer Month. We are grateful for all our volunteers: volunteer tutors, Dolly Parton's Imagination Library volunteers, the folks who keep our little libraries stocked, and those who help with our special events.
Thank you for supporting us in accomplishing our mission to transform lives and communities through the power of literacy. We couldn't do it without you! Below are some testimonials and stories representing all the fantastic Literacy Together volunteers.
| |
Congratulations, Iris, on reading your first book!
| |
| Images: Iris with her tutors Ray and Jan
| |
Iris called me this week to tell me she read her first book! She was so excited. I asked if she could write a few sentences about how that made her feel and why it was so important to her. She wrote a letter and brought it straight to me that day. And she picked up two more books to take home because she loves the feeling of reading now. Iris is an amazing and inspiring person, and we are all grateful to work with her. Here is what she wrote about this milestone in her life:
| |
"Well everyone, I did something I never thought I could. That was to read a book. I did it all on my own. I accomplished it myself.
I feel so good about it. It was 101 pages, WOW!! The name of the book is Never Going Back. That is so true for me."
| |
She thanked her two tutors, Jan and Ray, and the Adult Literacy director, Rebecca, for helping her reach this important goal:
| |
"Thank you, I could not have done it without them."
| |
"Iris is an absolute delight! She has such a positive approach to learning and life! I hope to be able to work with her for a long time! "
- Jan, Iris's math tutor
| |
"Through hard work and perseverance, Iris has accomplished something she thought was impossible: read an entire book. This is only her first goal in building her reading skills. Congratulations, Iris!"
- Ray, Iris's reading tutor
| |
Mike has been an ESOL tutor for ten years and has had three (sometimes overlapping) students: one for five years, one for almost three years, and Olga for 5.5 years. He is now 88 years old, and he retired. He had his last class with Olga. Thank you, Mike! Watch Olga’s experience working with Mike:
| |
Sarah's been tutoring with the Youth Literacy Program for a year and wants to volunteer with the ESOL Program as well!
"It has been such a great experience to volunteer with Literacy Together. I have worked with a 9-year-old student for the past year, and we meet twice a week. His smile lights up my week, and we have worked on many reading skills as well as enjoying many books together. He loves to read jokes and riddles in particular. We have also enjoyed playing games that have helped him build up his attention span and to follow directions. I have really enjoyed getting to know my student and learning about his interests and activities."
| |
|
Dolly Parton's Imagination Library puts books into the hands and hearts of children worldwide. We're mailing a free book monthly to over 5,000 registered children in Buncombe County.
| |
Our community is getting stronger every day!
| |
60 people have attended our online volunteer orientation meeting in 2023 so far. We've modified the format of our online orientation meeting to be more inclusive. So, everyone is welcome to join us, from community members, local business owners, and nonprofits willing to learn more about Literacy Together's work to prospective volunteer tutors. This is what one participant said about what they learned during the orientation meeting:
"I learned helpful details about the various programs and about the number of people who need assistance. I did not know previously that you helped to connect parents with the Dolly Parton reading program."
| |
Thanks to the folks at AVL Lit Tour for helping us spread the word about our need for volunteer tutors among their literature-loving clients!
| |
We loved being part of the Bank of America's Volunteer Expo in March. Thanks for having us!
| |
| Upcoming Online Orientation Meetings
Tuesday, May 2nd, 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Thursday, May 4th, 10:00 am - 11:00 am
| |
| Your generosity provides literacy services to our neighbors of every age.
| |
|
|
|
|
