STORYBOOK BREAKFAST 2013 A SUCCESS!
The Fourteenth Annual Storybook Breakfast sponsored by The Literacy Center on
March 23 brought Terrific Tales and Staggering Stories to life through theatrical performances. Over 100 children and family members enjoyed Rudyard Kiplings’ Just So Stories by Chris Davis (The Renaissance Man), the Meistersingers of Nuremberg by Middle-earth Studios, and Pioneer Travel on the Oregon Trail by Kit’s Interactive Theatre at The Kasych Family Pavilion of Lehigh Valley Health Network. Lehigh Valley Cloggers engaged the children in dancing while Muhlenberg College students and representatives of Michael’s Crafts assisted children in making clothespin animals and decorating visors. The lively morning included a buffet breakfast, children’s book swap, and silent auction of colorful activity baskets and family gift certificates. All proceeds are used to provide literacy instruction to over 650 adults annually who enroll in classes toward their GED, study English as a Second Language, or receive tutoring in basic literacy skills. Specialized classes in health literacy and basic computer literacy are also provided.
Thank you to everyone who participated!
We would like to especially thank the following sponsors of Storybook Breakfast:
Campbell, Rappold, and Yurasits
Capital BlueCross
Rhonda and Randy Dietz
National Penn Bank
Sodexo
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"Literacy Changes Lives"
Golf Outing
On Monday August 13, 2012 over 70 golfers hit the links at the beautiful Silver Creek Country Club in support of literacy - and in hopes of shooting a hole-in-one. As you can see from the photographs taken by Literacy Center graduate Marco Calderon, the weather was perfect and the course was in great condition. Funds raised from this event will go to support the more than 600 students The Literacy Center serves each year through free GED and ESL classes. Many thanks to everyone involved!
Want to see more pictures from the day?
click here!
Many thanks to our "Eagle" Sponsor!
and the following sponsors
AAA East Central * Albarell Electric Inc. * Apollo Grill * Allentown Beverage
American Bank * ArtsQuest * B&B Electrical Contracters * Boyle Construction
Bracy Contracting * Senator Patrick Browne
Cake Designs by Angie * Celebrity Cleaning Inc.
Civic Theatre of Allentown * C.M. Stauffer Insurance Agency
Cosmopolitan * Edwards Business Systems * Eric J. Loch Diamonds and Fine Jewelry
Geometric Controls, Inc. * Glasbern Inn * Haldeman Ford Lincoln
HMK Insurance * Art and Susan Hochhauser
Holiday Inn and Conference Center * Hotel Bethlehem * Carol and Ken Jones
KNBT, A division of National Penn Bank * Knox Consulting
Lehigh Valley Labor Council * Lehigh Valley Mall
Main Street Public Relations
Representative Jennifer Mann * Medical Consulting by Kathy
The Melting Pot * Miller-Keystone Blood Center * Nestle Waters
Ilene and Michael Prokup * PPL * Sam Adams Grille * Philip Weber Jr. P.E. LLC
Working Dog Press * Zoellner Arts Center
Congratulations Graduates!
It’s graduation season and The Literacy Center would like to congratulate this year’s graduating class. Our Annual Graduation Ceremony, held Tuesday, June 19th at the Barristers Club in Allentown, was attended by many families and friends of the graduates, as well as the Board of Directors, donors, volunteers and staff. Class speakers Richard Weinsteiger, GED graduate, and JanJay Person, ESL graduate, gave inspiring and memorable presentations. Many thanks to Mr. Michael Westover, Director of the Pennsylvania Bureau of Postsecondary and Adult Education, who gave a rousing address. In addition to our graduates, we would like to congratulate our special awards recipients: Mr. John Baker, tutor and mentor, as Volunteer of the Year; Lehigh Valley Health Network as our Partner in Literacy, accepted by Dr. Thomas Whalen, Chief Medical Officer; and Ms. Sharon Blissett, alumna of The Literacy Center, for the Linda V. McCrossan Literacy Achievement award. Without these special people and organizations, The Literacy Center would not be the successful program we are today. After the conferring of diplomas and closing comments by Executive Director Carol T. Jones, PhD. and Board President Jim Santanasto, everyone enjoyed the donated refreshments and gathered with their families for several great photo opportunities.
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The Literacy Center would like to welcome.......
Karen Ennis came to The Literacy Center in 2002 as a volunteer. She enjoyed her experience so much that she returned to school and received a master’s degree in education and ESL certification. In 2007 she was hired as an ESL teacher at TLC. Karen has taught all levels of students at different sites throughout the Lehigh Valley. She was recently hired to fill the part-time position of volunteer coordinator, and plans to continue volunteering as a tutor.
Stephanie Fisher joins us as our new Transitions Counselor for our ESL students. Stephanie started here at The Literacy Center as a volunteer in 2010, became an adjunct ESL instructor in 2011, and joined the staff full-time this summer. Stephanie is a native of the Lehigh Valley and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English from Temple University. Stephanie will be making sure our ESL students have a smooth transition to the workforce and post-secondary education.
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The Literacy Center proudly announces the election of the following individuals to its Board of Directors:
James F. Nemeth, CPA, is employed by Guardian Insurance as Assistant Vice President and Controller. Previously, he served as Senior Auditor for Deloitte & Touche in Allentown. A resident of Northampton, he holds the B.A. in Accounting from Villanova Universityand the M.B.A. from Lehigh University and is a member of the adjunct faculty of Muhlenberg College. He reports. "This (opportunity to serve on the Board) truly feels like the right thing to do at this time in my life. With my wife being an ESL teacher, this is a worthy cause we both share."
Patricia A. Spaziani, an Easton resident, is Director of Human Resources at St. Luke's Hospital, Allentown Campus where she is responsible for the day to day management of the Human Resources department including compensation and benefits administration, employee relations, recruitment and workers compensation. She holds the B.A. in Human Resources Management from Moravian College, is certified as Senior Professional in Human Resources and is a member of both the National and Lehigh Valley Society for Human Resource Management Chapters. Patty has expressed that she hopes "To be actively involved, support and advocate for an organization that improves the quality of life of individuals in the community."
Avery Smith, Esquire, is associated with the law firm of King, Spry, Herman, Freund & Faul in Bethlehem. Her law practice is focused on trusts, estates and general contract law. Attorney Smith holds the B.A. in Government/English from Franklin and Marshall College and the J.D. from Temple University. A Lehigh County resident, she is active in the community as legal counsel and member of the Friends of the 1803 House, the Rotary Club of Allentown, and the Lehigh County Bar Association. In the past she also served as a member of Casa Guadalupe’s Capital Campaign Committee and the Teen Central Advisory Board for Kids Peace. She reports that “As a Lehigh Valley native I would like to use my education and experience to give back to the community by contributing to the eradication of a problem that I believe stunts many other areas of growth in an otherwise exceptional place to live.”
