Kenosha Literacy Council

Annual Report

2012-2013

Friends of Kenosha Literacy Council, THANK YOU! We appreciate your support in the 2012-13 year. Thanks to you, we expanded programming and partnerships throughout the community to help meet the needs of adult learners and their families. With your help, we are changing lives everyday. With this annual report, the Kenosha Literacy Council (KLC) is pleased to share our work and the people, programs, and partners that contributed to another year of addressing literacy in Kenosha County. KLC helped nearly 600 adult learners representing 39 different countries learn to read, write and speak in English so that they were better able to achieve financial independence, good health and greater involvement in our community. Over 200 volunteers helped as trained literacy tutors, class instructors and board members. Our annual Laps for Literacy event was expanded to include a 5K run/walk and the 13th annual Spelling Bee with the theme of Marga-read-aville was a great success. Also, a new Literacy Council video that showcases adult learners and volunteer tutors was produced through a collaboration with Leadership Kenosha and Gateway Technical College. We enthusiastically enter the 2013-14 year with a newly adopted strategic plan that is now incorporated into board meetings. The strategic plan will build our capacity to serve adults and families with literacy needs while making an impact in Kenosha. We hope that you will read this report with the same pride that we have in reflecting on the creative and forward thinking ways in which our staff and board of directors approach literacy in Kenosha. We invite you to take a moment to learn more about the Literacy Council’s accomplishments, programs, learners and volunteers by visiting our website and/or joining us at an event in 2013-14! Looking forward,

Cheryl Hernandez Vince Incandela Executive Director Board President

OUR MISSION

Established in 1965, the Kenosha Literacy Council is a

nonprofit agency dedicated to providing and

promoting English literacy education to adults with

the assistance of trained volunteers.

Literacy is a fundamental ingredient in building strong

families, a good economy and a healthy community.

Adults need to know how to read, write, and speak in

English so they can participate in the workforce and

earn wages that support their families and

communities.

“In my new life I struggled to move forward. Because I did not speak or write English I was always dependent on others. I was no longer in control. But then life changed. I learned to communicate in English. I got a job, my own apartment and a new life. The Kenosha Literacy Council is a place where I no longer felt repressed but unstoppable.”

~ KLC Learner Maria

MEET KLC LEARNER CARL SANDERS

My name is Carl Sanders and I am 56 years old. Let me give you a little

background about myself: I own a small business in Kenosha, I am the

Sergeant at Arms at the Kenosha Rotary Club, I also sit on the Board of

Directors of the New Song Ministry. I am here to speak to you about the

Kenosha Literacy Council. But first, let me tell you what brought me to the

Literacy Council: A couple of years ago, a business associate asked if I

would be interested in joining the Kenosha Rotary Club. I thought, “no big

deal, good for business.” So, I became a member. I got to know some of

the Rotarians. They are lawyers, doctors, the fire chief, realtors and so on.

On night I got a call and was asked if I would be interested in becoming the

next Sergeant at Arms. I said I would think about it. You see, I had a little

secret-I couldn’t read very well. I barely made it to the ninth grade when I

dropped out of school. I was terrified. I had heard about the Literacy

Council from a fellow Rotarian. I told him about my problem and he helped

me get in touch with the Literacy Council. I didn’t know what to expect at

first. They explained to me what they were going to do to help me and I knew right away that they were not there

to judge me—just to help. So, I met Sue, a Literacy Council volunteer—one of many. They are great people. I don’t

know what I would do without Sue or the Literacy Council. They have helped so much! Now, we’re working on

getting my G.E.D. I hope someday I can help somebody learn to read. Oh, by the way, I am now the President Elect

of the Rotary Club. It’s never too late. I love reading now. I can go on trips and never leave home. Plus, I learn so

many things because I can read!

FACTS & FIGURES

The Kenosha Literacy Council served 590 adult learners representing 39 different

countries in 2012-2013.

64% of learners who participated in at least 60 hours of instruction advanced one (1) educational functioning level.

34% of learners who

participated at KLC for more than six months, found employment and/or enrolled at Gateway Technical College

95% citizenship students

passed practice test.

MEET KLC LEARNER EVELIA HERNANDEZ

My name is Evelia. I am from Mexico City. I came almost 15 years ago. But I

only started learning English 4 years ago. To me, it was easy to not learn

English because everywhere people speak Spanish and make things too easy

for us. But for me, it is important to learn English because I have 2 kids in

school. I need to be involved in their education. So I want to learn English.

When I started at the KLC my English was bad because I just knew some

words that I learned from my daughter’s homework. When I started classes at

the KLC I learned a lot, but I wanted to learn more so I could have a fluent

conversation with anyone. So the KLC encouraged me to enroll in classes at

Gateway too. I was not sure to take the classes because I was afraid of new

things. But I’m really happy to have done it.

A few months ago I started classes to get my GED. Now in the future I want to

take classes for childcare. I am doing my best to reach my goal. I am very

happy that I passed all of the tests and earned my GED this summer. I am

working hard in my English classes and am getting closer to my goal. I’m really grateful for the KLC for helping me

and anyone who goes there. And also for the people who support literacy. Thank you.

The Kenosha Literacy Council offers a wide variety of programs to help adults improve their literacy skills so that they may better achieve goals specific to their needs: to read to their children or help with homework, to fill out a job application, to understand finances,

or speak with a doctor about a health concern.

ELL CIVICS PROGRAM In KLC’s ELL (English Language Learner) Civics classes experiential leaning methods are used to explore important

topics like public schools, health, finance, safety, housing and government. Students improve their English while

also learning about the community. Hands-on activities, field trips and guest speakers play an important role in the

ELL Civics classes. While learning about health literacy, for example, students do research to create a Medical

Services Guide, learn about blood pressure and cholesterol from a registered nurse, practice exercise led by fitness

experts, learn about healthy eating from a nutritionist and tour a local hospital. They are learning much more than

how to read; they are learning to become leaders in their families and in our community!

Healthy meals workshop at Community Action Agency

A tour of the neighborhood fire station Writing a check at BMO Harris Bank

61 adult learners participated in 1,995 hours of instruction Post test scores for each module increased by an average of 58% Based on pre and post test scores, students made the most gains in the Banking and

Government modules

LITERACY @ WORK PROGRAM

This special series of classes focuses on building job readiness and computer

skills. Students in the class learn how to use the internet to search for jobs and

fill out online job applications, learn important computer and work-related

vocabulary, and create a resume and cover letter. Each

student that completes the class receives a ready-to-work

portfolio and a flash drive with an electronic copy of important documents.

CITIZENSHIP PROGRAM

KLC’s eight week citizenship class is offered several times a year. Students learn about the

rights and responsibilities of U.S. citizenship, the N-400 application form and the application

process. Students prepare for the civics and English

tests that are required for naturalization. They also

learn strategies for communication in the interview

and resources for citizenship study. We are proud to

report that 95% of the students that complete the class are prepared to

pass the citizenship test.

Pre and post test scores saw a 30% improvement 100% of students learned to complete an online job search, none had done this prior to the class 100% of students finished the class with a ready to use resume

TUTORING PROGRAMS

Kenosha Literacy Council’s tutoring programs include drop-in tutoring and one- on-one tutoring. Drop-in tutoring is held at the Council four days a week. Adult learners are matched with volunteer tutors and work on individualized education plans. In the one-on-one tutoring program a volunteer tutor is

paired with an adult learner and works with them weekly, at a library or other public place. Adult learners are able to build better practical English reading, writing and speaking skills in these personalized programs. 527 adult learners participated in 11,571 hours of instruction

VOLUNTEERS

Volunteers are the heart of the Kenosha Literacy Council! In 2012-13, 207 volunteers gave 7,500 hours of their

time to help adult learners reach their goals. Our volunteers are changing

lives everyday! Five tutor training sessions were held throughout the year

for new tutors. Each new tutor was also required to complete online

modules as part of the training. Two tutor in-service opportunities were held

for current volunteers. The estimated value of volunteer time for 2012 was

$22.14 per hour. KLC’s volunteers provided nearly $175,000 worth of service

to our community! KLC would not be able to provide the services it does

without the assistance of volunteers.

COMMUNITY & PARTNERS

Community Partnerships included: Community Action Agency, ELCA Urban

Outreach Center, Gateway Technical College, Kenosha Chamber of Commerce Non-

profit Group, Kenosha Emergency Services Network, Kenosha Public Library, Kenosha

Unified School District, Leadership Kenosha, Y-Link and others!

2012-13 Funders included: CDBG Grant, Dollar General Literacy Foundation, Green

Bay Packers Foundation, Kenosha Community Foundation, Kenosha Community

Foundation-Woman’s Fund, , Rotary Foundation of Kenosha West, Lions Foundation,

St. Mary’s Lutheran Foundation, United Way of Kenosha County, Wisconsin Technical

College System, and many kind individual donors.

Kenosha Literacy Council also received generous support from many local

businesses including: BMO Harris Bank, Bradshaw Medical, Carthage College, Copy

Center, Downtown Toy Store, Dental Associates, Express Employment Professionals,

Gateway Technical College, HarborPark Jazz & Blues Fest, Huck Reality, Johnson

Bank, Kenosha News, Kenosha Unified School District, Kenosha Visiting Nurses

Association, LMI Packaging Solutions, Landry Law Offices, Molina Healthcare, Sandy’s

Poppers, Talmer Bank, ULINE, Wisconsin Literacy, Xten Industries and many more.

Thank you to all those who supported KLC’s fundraising efforts in 2012-2013 Laps for Literacy Annual Campaign Spelling Bee

Literacy Blooms Tea Rummage Sale

THE LITERACY COUNCIL BY THE NUMBERS

Thanks to successful fundraising efforts and the support of many members of the community, Kenosha Literacy Council continued to establish a more secure financial future in 2012-2013.

12%

64%

17%

7%

2012-2013 Funds Raised

Contributions

Grants

Fundraising

Other

75%

21%

4%

2012-2013 Funds Used

Program

Management & General

Fundraising

0

20000

40000

60000

80000

100000

120000

140000

160000

180000

2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012 2012-2013 Est. 2013-2014

Operating Budget

Kenosha Literacy Council, Inc. 2419 63rd Street Kenosha, WI 53143 Phone: 262.654.7323 www.kenoshalit.org Find us on Facebook

Staff: Cheryl Hernandez, Executive Director

Cassie Christianson, Instructor & Program Assistant Carrie Stills, Instructor

Board of Directors:

Vince Incandela, President Ellen Melyon, Vice President

Adelene Greene, Treasurer Kathy Cole, Secretary

Terri Chardukian Ashleigh Henrichs

John Hogan Rolly Peckus

Jessica Romanowski Daphne Ursu

Retired June 30, 2013: Gary Flynn, President

Anderson Lattimore, Vice President Elaine Walton