Literally Speaking

Literacy Center of Milford, Connecticut

Member of Pro Literacy
Winter 2010

Executive Director's Report

Upcoming Events:
Hello to all the Friends of Literacy,
March
20- Leprechaun Leap
I am in my second month at the Literacy Center as the Executive Director. It has been a
April pleasure meeting many of you and I am looking forward to meeting many more.
18-Author Luncheon
I came from The Milford Bank where I worked in the Community Relations and Marketing
August Departments. I have been involved with the Literacy Center as a board member and as a
21-Oyster Festival Raffle chairperson for some fundraisers. I am looking forward to the continued service and
growth that the Literacy Center can offer to our community.
September
Literacy Month Joy Stonier Student
Tutor Training Class We just completed our winter tutor training session with 14 new Scholarship Fund
Literacy Award and trained ESL (English as a Second Language) tutors. They have Donors:
Recognition Night been matched with new students and will begin their process in
guiding them to learn the English language. Thank you to the Karen O'Neil
November Susan McKenna
volunteers. Without your efforts, we would not be able to
16th Annual Wine and Carmen N Corvino
support those in need. Enid Heyse
Food Tasting
Betty Brosius
**********************
We are also looking forward to March 20. It is our Annual Feng Liu
Leprechaun Leap! This event raises money to help the Literacy Melinda Adams
This edition of the Center cover much of the operational budget and some Patricia McAllen
Nancy Rotman
newsletter is sponsored programs. We are grateful to those who come every year with
Robert Cummings Js
by... their pledge forms and race into the icy waters in Long Island John P. O’Neil
Sound. It is not too late to form a group or come alone and take Marilyn Wardell
Tracy Edwards the "leap". Registration and pledge forms are online. The after Meet the Arts &
On Deck Mortgage
party will be at Daniel Street. Many thanks to Rich and Lynn Artisans
203-377-5626
Conine for their continuous supprt to the Center. We look Florence Berrien
Helen Della Rocco
Mark Bernier forward to seeing many of you there. Trophies will be awarded
Beatrice Ball
Country Meadow Tree in many categories. For more information, go to Ann Loesch
Service, LLC www.literacycenterofmilford.com. David Gregory
203-878-3638 Russell Sanders
Please stay in touch. I would like to hear your thoughts and Barbara Comstock
David Raffauf ideas for the growth in the Literacy Center. I want us to be Monica Judge
Stephen Gould committed to continuous quality improvement at the Literacy Lois Smith
203-499-8334 Nancy W. Smith
Center of Milford. Phyllis Gwatkin
John Kelly Florence Gambino
Your thoughts, time and financial support are greatly Debra Shea
McWeeney Marketing
203-891-8100 appreciated. Linda Bouvier
Don Hastings
Tami Jackson Dolores Crandley
Mike Boyle
Executive Director Jean Cianciolo
Boyle Insurance Services
Literacy Center of Milford Joan Shumaker
203-258-2637
Robert Gregory
Monica Foran
John Carangelo Tami Jackson
Probate Judge "We have become not a melting pot,
Helen Boni Fisher
but a beautiful mosaic. Linda Whittaker
Different people, different beliefs, different Lois T. Rumble
To be a newsletter sponsor, call
the Center at 203-878-4800 yearnings, different hopes, different dreams." Eliza Holcomb

Jimmy Carter Thank you!

President’s Message,
As the new President of the Literacy Center Board of Directors I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Joy for her many years of service
and dedication to the Literacy Center. I know you all join me in wishing her a happy retirement! I would also like to WELCOME our new
Executive Director, Tami Jackson. I look forward with great excitement to working with Tami and bringing her visions for the Center to life.
One of my goals for this year will be to increase our ranks of volunteers to work on fund raising events. If you have not already done so, please
consider giving us your name and email address so we can contact you with volunteer opportunities. I promise we won’t over burden you! I am
always available for your comments and hope to meet many of you as the year goes on.
Best Regards, Cathy Coda cathy.coda@att.net

Spotlight on... Pat McAllen

One of the most rewarding experiences I had was helping the Senior Class of Yomitan High School in
Okinawa and appreciating American cultures.They could read and write English, but had no concept of the
meaning or pronunciation. They were so enthusiastic about learning our culture and holidays. Because the
Japanese had occupied their land, the students knew nothing about us, even 15 years after the end of WWII.
When I settled in Milford in the late 60s, I wanted to continue with helping people to read and/or assimilate
into our culture. Therefore, in 1990 when the Literacy Center was started, I offered my services to help
adults who had reading difficulties. My first student was a slow learner and not too motivated to progress his
reading abilities, but after a year and a half of weekly meetings with me, he was awarded the most advanced
reader in the rehab center where he lived.
When the Literacy Center started the ESL (English as a second language) program for the Milford area, I was pleased to take the
ESLTutor Class. Because I enjoy the American
culture and living in the States, I wanted to help
foreign students also know and love being here.
My daughter had been in the Peace Corp and
taken an ESL course so that she could teach to in
many countries. Over the past 20 years, she has
lived in Thailand, Ukraine, Russia, Portugal, West
Africa, China, Japan, Burma, India, Indonesia and
I often visited her in these countries where I
wanted to help people learn English as a Second
Language.
For the past seven years I have been helping
in the office at the Center and enjoy meeting all
the students who matriculate there.

ESL Book Club

The ESL (English as a Second
Language) Book Club will be
meeting on the 3rd Tuesday of
each month. The Next meeting
will be March 16, 7:00 at the
Literacy Center.

They will be discussing...

The Heiress of Water
by Sandra Rodrigues Barron.

Sandra is a local author whose second book will be

published in June. The settings for the book are Milford
and El Salvador. The Woodmont Library and the Milford
Library have copies of the book. Students and tutors are
invited to attend.
Upcoming books will be listed on the web site.

We will also be creating a Book Shelf at the Literacy

Center for students to take books home to read. We will
be looking for donations...more info to come.
 T-Shirts and Sweatshirts For Sale
Want to show your "leaper" spirit?
ONLY $10.00
Stop by the Literacy Center to pick one up! Leapers with $25 in pledges get one FREE!
 Non-profit org.
U.S. Postage
Pd. Permit #559
New Haven, CT

16 Dixon St.
Milford, Ct. 06460

Do you still like

receiving our
newsletter?

Would you like to

refer a friend to
our newsletter
list?

Call the Center.

Find us on...

16 Dixon St. (203) 878-4800

literacycenter@optimum.net
www.literacycenterofmilford.com

Betty is taking the

Congratulations! LEAP!
Would you like to make a
pledge to the
Leprechaun Leap?

Betty Gerner works on

Thursday mornings and is
our Tutor Trainer.

For $5.00 your name

will be entered to win
a Trader Joe's Basket.

Stop by the office any time!

The winter ESL tutor training class. Honor a loved one

The Literacy Center offers a donation card that is appropriate
Thank you for your support! for Memoriams and Honorariums.
All gifts are acknowledged to the donor by the office.
The Milford Bank
Cards may be picked up at the Center during office hours.
Junior Woman's Club
Milford Woman's Club In Memory of...
0
201 DeLuca Foundation Elizabeth "Betsy" Callahan from The Bunco Babes
Milford Consortium for Child Care Initiatives Dave Stonier from Phyllis Gwatkin
Barney Bona from Phyllis Gwatkin
We need help in the offfice! Are you interested in Betsy Callahan from Nancy Callahan
volunteering a 3 hour shift? Call if you are interested.