DLC News & Media DLC board members, staff, and volunteers enjoyed the reading by novelist Wiley Cash at last night's reading at the Regulator.
Many thanks to Wiley for donating a portion of the event's book sales
to the DLC and for encouraging the audience to support both literacy and
independent bookstores! Pictured (left to right) are Ed Wolf, David Jones, Wiley Cash, Rebecca Schaffer, Mary Siedow, Richard Brown, and Gardy Perard. - Leaders in Literacy Breakfast News
The Herald-Sun ran three great stories on the Leaders in Literacy Breakfast on 5/4/12:
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Egging Durham Pays Off for the Durham Literacy Center! (Thank you, StoryChurch!)
When StoryChurch began brainstorming ideas for making a real difference in Durham, church member and DLC ESOL volunteer Ty Malachi suggested raising funds for the DLC. Church members then hid 1,000 biodegradable eggs across the Triangle in the weeks prior to Easter. Each egg contained a dollar coin and a sheet of paper explaining that the finder could keep the dollar or donate it to the Durham Literacy Center. StoryChurch matched each dollar donated, doubling or tripling the donation depending on when the donation was made.
On April 26, 2012, StoryChurch Pastor Jeremy Copeland delivered a $5,000 check to our Executive Director, Reggie Hodges.
Every cent will be put to good
use opening up new worlds through adult literacy, English instruction, and GED
instruction for teens and young adults.
Many thanks to Ty, StoryChurch, and everyone who participated in this event!
NC LiteracyCorps Members from multiple sites, including the Durham Literacy Center, hosted
a very successful literacy fair on Global Youth Service Day (April 21, 2012). The literacy fair included bilingual story time, bookmark making, and other literacy-related activities. Participating children also received free books gathered via a book drive held by participating AmeriCorps sites prior to the event. Kudos to DLC AmeriCorps Members
Deb Wong, Tamara Bartreau, Mickey MacAdam, and Leon Carter!
You can see more photos from this event on our Facebook page.
- MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! The DLC's 2012 Great Human Race Team surpassed its goal of raising $10,000 and helped raise awareness about the empowering work we do. We will report our official fundraising total and add more photos as they become available. And now, a word from our Executive Director, Reggie Hodges:
Dear Great Human Race participants and supporters,
On behalf of the Durham Literacy Center, I would like to personally thank you for your support for and participation in the 2012 Great Human Race. Your effort, contribution and presence made the difference in the success of the event.
I especially want to thank Trish Henderson for being the Chief Organizer and Trina Allen for being the largest individual fundraiser. Special thanks go to Vince Cavallari for organizing the Credit Suisse volunteers and for securing the corporate contribution. Also, thanks to Verizon for being the corporate sponsor for our t-shirts.
Thanks to Credit Suisse, the Durham Literacy Center reached its goal of $10,000 for the race. Funds are still coming.
The group picture below was taken early - so everyone is not included.
Again, THANKS!
Reginald Hodges, DLC Executive Director
Dacia Odom is overcoming the challenges posed by dyslexia. Her most recent victory was passing the first of five GED tests. She explains, "Improving my reading has really opened me up as a person. I have a lot more confidence. Nothing can hold me back. Because of the Durham Literacy Center, I'm going for my dreams. And my babies are right behind me!"
Update: On February 28, Dacia passed her second official GED test at Durham Tech!
Learn more about Dacia and other DLC students who are changing their lives and helping to create a brighter future for Durham.
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Many thanks to the amazing support tutors, students, and board members - and to the NC School of Science & Math - for making our Adult Literacy and ESOL tutor training a huge success!
 Thanks to Adult Literacy tutor Netiti Moori for donating a beautiful pair of handmade earrings for a DLC raffle! Andrew Young won the raffle. Thanks to all who bought tickets and supported the cause!
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Congratulations to the Teen Career Academy students who are making great progress toward their GED diplomas! Things are hopping at our new classroom location at the Emily K. Center.
- Durham Literacy Center Launches Campaign to Acquire Building
On October 20, 2011, the
Durham Literacy Center (DLC) launched its $1.4 million dollar public
campaign to raise money to acquire and refurbish a new facility, including classrooms,
computer labs and offices.
The newly renovated
and equipped facility being planned will serve as a hub for the 26-year-old Literacy Center,
which will also continue to provide learning opportunities at other locations
in underserved communities throughout Durham.
Adding the new hub facility will allow a 50 percent increase in student
enrollment, implement needed technological upgrades, establish a curriculum more
tailored to functional job skills and employment, and provide childcare
facilities so parents can focus on learning.
The campaign kick-off was held in the University
Tower’s Franklin Room,
named after noted historian and DLC board member, John Hope Franklin. Reginald Hodges,
DLC Executive Director, said, “Literacy services are needed more now than ever.
Adults with poor literacy skills are losing jobs; 500 students leave our public
schools each year without graduating; and immigrants and refugees without basic-English
skills continue to arrive in Durham
in search of a better life. We need to make the hope and potential of literacy
available to everyone. It is not only our responsibility, it is our
opportunity. To do this, we need the right tools and an appropriate facility
that nurtures achievement."
With the approval of
the DLC Board of Directors and the DLC Capital Campaign Steering Committee, the
first phase of the capital campaign was initiated earlier, with contributions
already received from Verizon, SunTrust Bank, Square 1 Bank, ABC 11, the BIN
Foundation, the Kings Daughters, and private citizens. Also, Duke University
and several local businesses have agreed to help with furnishings and
computers.
Read more: The Herald-Sun - Durham Literacy Center launches campaign for new home.
Please
contact Reginald Hodges if you would like to contribute to this
campaign. You can reach Reggie by phone (919-489-8383, ext. 22) or by
email (rhodges@durhamliteracy.org).
- Durham Grit Award: If you haven't already read it, here is a recent Herald Sun editorial about the DLC and two of our amazing students:
Week's end (10/21/11)
Taking on the challenge of learning to read can pose so many obstacles
beyond the basic fundamentals for adults. The shame many people who are
illiterate feel, partnered with lack of self-confidence, and bolstered
by trying to find where they can seek assistance in a safe environment
is daunting.
Fortunately, there are people in this world like
Charles Winstead and Christopher Williams. And there are places like the
Durham Literacy Center, which while currently raising funds to find a
permanent home, is still a place, built by the hands of volunteers and
staff members in the hearts of those who have been helped.
Winstead,
with the help of the Literacy Center, learned to read when he was 39.
Williams, 55, has been working for the past 18 months on reading and is
now at a third-grade level, which is rapid progress.
“A lot of
doors have opened for me, like speaking and letting other folks know
that if I can do it, there’s room for them to do it, too,” Williams said
at a gala for the Durham Literacy Center on Thursday night that kicked
off its fundraising campaign.
For Williams, Winstead, the untold
number of other clients who weren’t afraid to knock on the door, and
for the good folks at the Durham Literacy Center who have imparted the
gift of reading and opened so many doors for their students, we offer
you this week’s Durham Grit Award. [Read more: The Herald-Sun - Week s end]
 MANY THANKS to everyone who helped make the 2011 Duck Race a HUGE success!We truly appreciate everyone who braved the chilly temps to sell last-minute ducks, hung a flier, sold or bought a duck, or re-posted our publicity posts on a Facebook page or sent our emails to friends. You ALL rock! And many thanks to the American Tobacco Campus, Fox 50, Grifols, and all of the sponsors of the event.
Click on the photos below to go to our album on Facebook. Once there, click on any photo to start a slide show of the full images. (If you don't have an account, just click cancel when it prompts you to sign up.The album is public and visible to all.)
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2011 Business Excellence
Award: The Durham
Literacy Center
was honored to receive the Durham Chamber of Commerce 2011 Business Excellence
Award at last evening’s annual awards dinner at the Durham Convention Center.
The award is the highest level of recognition a non-profit can receive from the
Chamber. The award recognizes the positive impact of our work empowering Durham adults through
literacy. A dozen DLC board and staff members were present to share in the
occasion. Read the Herald Sun article here.
Many thanks to our many supporters, partners, volunteers, board members, staff,
graduates and students for your inputs that made this prestigious honor a reality.
The award validates our commitment to literacy. This is quite an honor and much
appreciated.
The glass spire award and
certificate will be on display at the Durham Literacy
Center’s Annual Meeting
on next Thursday, September 22 at 6:00pm. at the Southwest Regional Library, 3605 Shannon Rd. Durham
NC 27707.
Nancy Wycle, Editor of The Herald Sun will be our guest speaker for the meeting.
- Recent DLC Adult GED diploma earner Demetria Benjamin has begun her first semester at Shaw University this semester! Congratulations, Demetria!
- Many thanks to Aveda Institutefor donating
all "Tips for a Cause"
received in August to support DLC literacy programs!
-
DLC's Teen Career
Academy students are back in class at their new digs in the Emily K. Center. Thanks to Emily K for the warm welcome!
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A big thanks to Fullsteam for supporting our efforts to raise funds by selling ducks for the 2011 Great American Tobacco Duck Race!
- Congratulations to the Teen Career Academy's graduating class of 2011!
Twelve
students received their GED diplomas on May 20, and nine of these
students attended our graduation ceremony at the John Avery Boys and
Girls Club. Check back for more photos and details about these fabulous
graduates!
- The Great Human Race: We did it! We qualified for the full $10K match and
raised a grand total of over
$20,000! Many, many thanks to everyone
who collected pledges, donated, walked, ran, and otherwise supported us
in this critical fundraiser. Special thanks to Verizon for their generous support and to Credit Suisse for joining the
cause!
We
will update the site with the official total and more photos from this
year's race later this week. If anyone still has pledges to turn in -
via the website,
cash, or check - we will continue accepting them for several weeks. And
for those who walked with us or raised/donated more than $50 but did
not yet get your DLC t-shirt, please let us know so that we can get one
to you. (We have about 60 XL and XXL t-shirts left.)
- Many thanks to the Durham Partnership for Children and MetaMetrics for their generous donations of more than 100 books to our Adult Literacy, ESOL, Teen Career Academy, and Escuela libraries!
- ABC11's Heart of Carolina Perspectives TV show recently featured the Durham Literacy Center. You can view our portion of the program on here or on our youtube channel.
- The Durham Coca-Cola Bottling Co. recently presented a generous donation to the DLC to support our services. The pictures below were taken at our Teen Career Academy site. Hager Rand and Jean McGuire presented the check to DLC Executive Director Reginald Hodges and Teen Career Academy Program Coordinator Malcom Reed.
- Many thanks to the Duke employees
who supported the 2010 Doing Good
in the Neighborhood campaign. Our family literacy program, Escuela
de la Familia, was granted funds through the campaign. See the
program featured here: Thank You Video
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We also thank George Habel, the Durham Bulls, and our friends on
Facebook who became fans of the Durham Bulls to raise $2,000 for our
programs. As part of the team's "12 days of Christmas" promotion, each new Facebook fan was going to count for $1 toward the team's donation to the DLC, but Bulls VP George Habel was so
impressed with the support (more than 800 DLC supporters became "Facebulls"), he decided to up the donation. Read more here.
- The DLC was recently featured in the Herald-Sun's 12 Days
of Giving Series, which focuses on Triangle nonprofits. Students Christopher Williams and Marion Smith were
interviewed, along with tutors Gregg Kreizman and Andrea Woods-Valdez. Read the article here.
- Many thanks to all who attended the DLC's 2010
Annual Meeting & Celebration! Special thanks to Ellen Reckhow and Theodore
Voorhees for speaking at the event. The
2010 Humanitarian Service Award was presented to Verizon for their
long-term commitment to supporting the DLC. The
2010 Student Leadership Award was presented to Durham City employee and
adult literacy student, Christopher Williams (below, in baseball cap). Click here for more photos from the
event.
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U.S. Representative
David Price, Durham Mayor, and Radio Show Host Honor Durham Literacy Pioneer at Third
Annual Leaders in Literacy Breakfast
On Monday, May 17,
the Durham Literacy
Center honored its
founder, Mary Whaley Paul, at a gala breakfast at the Washington Duke
Inn & Golf
Club. The event was attended by over 200 students, tutors and friends of
the Durham Literacy
Center. Durham
Mayor Bill Bell and Dick Gordon,
host of
NPR’s nationally syndicated show, “The Story,” both praised the Center's impact in their speeches. The highlight of
the event was the presentation to Ms. Paul by Congressman David Price of
remarks
read in Congress on May 13, 2010, recognizing the Durham
Literacy Center's
25th Anniversary and Ms. Paul’s contribution to Durham.
What started with
one
person and the desire to help people learn to read and write over three
decades
ago evolved into an institution serving 550 students annually at seven
locations
throughout Durham. Ms. Paul
brought a new spectrum of freedom and
self-esteem to a broad range of people, ranging from young refugees to
senior
citizens. As a direct result of Mary’s tireless efforts, over 12,000
Durham residents now enjoy
a better quality of life. We continue to applaud
Mary’s leadership, dedication and passion to help unlock the promise of
literacy for those in need in the Durham
community. To read the complete remarks Congressman Price delivered in Congress, click here. To read the Herald-Sun's coverage of the event, click here. (Photo of Ms. Paul, below, courtesy of Carol Addassi)
Click here to see photos from this event! Also, the DLC's Youtube Channel
now contains highlights from the event. (Pictured below are DLC Executive
Director Reginald Hodges, US Congressman David Price, and DLC Founder
Mary Whaley Paul.)
- The DLC was one of the top 10 fundraisers at the 2010 Great Human Race!
(It's never too late to donate to the
DLC. Click here to learn more.) Learn
more about the GHR. Verizon was the
DLC corporate sponsor for the Great Human Race
for the
third consecutive year! Thanks to everyone who participated or contributed funds!
- RTI International's Community Partnership
Program generously donated $1,500 to the DLC to support literacy
across Durham County! Adult Literacy Tutor Debbie Lee nominated
the DLC for this award and then presented the check to DLC Adult Literacy Program Coordinator Gardy Perard on
March 23.
Photos: Debbie presents check to Gardy; Debbie with Student Jermaie and Gardy; Debbie working with Jermaie.
- The
Durham Literacy Center
Named Agency of Excellence!
The
United Way of the Greater Triangle reviews
partner agencies in Durham, Johnston,
Orange, and Wake Counties
to determine if they have met essential agency accountability
standards. Those that go a step further to implement “best practice”
standards in areas such as ethics, fiscal management,
and agency mission receive the United Way of the Greater Triangle
Agency of Excellence
Award. For more information visit http://www.unitedwaytriangle.org.
- The DLC received another award from the United Way of the Greater
Triangle for having the highest
percentage of employees and board
members contribute to the UWGT 2009 fundraising campaign. The Awards ceremony took place at DPAC.
Pictured here are John
Stallings, SunTrust Bank Regional President (back left) and Craig
Chancellor, Director of the Triangle United Way of the Greater Triangle (far right) with DLC Executive Director Reginald Hodges and DLC board members Brian Schneiderman, Ed Wolf, Monika
Winchester, Ann Gale, Kim Mayo, and
Susan Springer.
(Photo
credit: Darryl Marrow - Elite Photographics)
- One of our amazing Adult Literacy students, Christopher Williams, spoke at the opening of a photography exhibit on Adult Literacy learners this Thursday evening. Everyone was inspired by his story. This public event was held at Duke's Sanford School of Public Policy at 5:30pm. Read more about it here!
- Adult
Literacy student, Jermaie, and DLC staff members are featured in an
ACC/United Way commercial that airs during Duke basketball games.
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Read about STAR reform at the DLC! Our pre-GED classes for adult literacy and ESOL students were highlighted in the most recent edition of Basic Skills E-News,
a newsletter published by the NC Community College System's Literacy
Resource Center. (See pages 18 & 19. The newsletter takes a while
to download). The DLC was the first community-based organization in North Carolina to join the nation-wide reform effort.
- Malcom's work with Durham youth was also the focus of a recent Herald-Sun article. Read the story here.
Archive of DLC Newsletters (click on each issue to download the pdf file):
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MANY THANKS to everyone who helped make the 2011 Duck Race a HUGE success!We truly appreciate everyone who braved the chilly temps to sell last-minute ducks, hung a flier, sold or bought a duck, or re-posted our publicity posts on a Facebook page or sent our emails to friends. You ALL rock! And many thanks to the American Tobacco Campus, Fox 50, Grifols, and all of the sponsors of the event.
