Month: September 2020

Delco Stars to Shine in Literacy Is Essential Telethon

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Telethon Celebrities

Press Release of September 29, 2020

Celebrities appearing in the Literacy Is Essential Telethon
Delco celebrities will be shining bright at the free online Literacy Is Essential Telethon in support of DCLC on October 21, 2020.
Shown top row, left to right: Tina Fey, Danie Ocean, Fran Brill, and Cheri Oteri; second row, left to right: Vince Papale, Monica Horan, Dan Connor, and Jahlil Beats.

What do Tina Fey, Cheri Oteri, Jahlil Beats, Monica Horan, Fran Brill, Matthew Ryan, Dan Connor, Danie Ocean, and Vince Papale have in common? They all hail from Delaware County originally, and they all will be contributing their talent and star power to the first-ever Literacy Is Essential Telethon in support of Delaware County Literacy Council (DCLC). Clearly these Delco luminaries understand that helping adults improve their literacy skills, learn English, earn GEDs, and get family-sustaining jobs is needed now more than ever.

The Literacy Is Essential Telethon is a free online celebration of adult literacy that will take place Wednesday, October 21, 2020, at 8:00 pm EDT. Anyone interested in attending can view the Telethon by visiting bit.ly/LE-Oct21 on October 21. The same link also provides a video preview and more details about the event.

The Telethon will honor the 2020 Champions of Adult Literacy, all of whom have furthered the cause of adult literacy in Delaware County. Awards will be presented to Student Champion Maria Torres, Community Champion Jonathan Abdur Rahim King, and Hometown Hero Champion the Delaware County Citizen Corps.

To celebrate these deserving Champions and to raise funds in support of DCLC’s free literacy services, Delco celebrities and community leaders will be performing and sharing messages of support. The event also will be a great opportunity to learn about the depth and generosity of talent from Delco.

While most people are already fans of Tina Fey, Cheri Oteri, and Vince Papale, they may not know Fran Brill, a puppeteer who grew up in Wallingford and who is responsible for the groundbreaking Muppets Prairie Dawn and Zoe on Sesame Street. Recording artists Matthew Ryan and Danie Ocean are both from Chester, and both will be performing during the Telethon. Learn about more special guests at bit.ly/LE-Oct21. DCLC invites all who care about adult literacy and who are proud to live in Delaware County to attend!

The Telethon is generously supported by Major Sponsors Franklin Mint Federal Credit Union and Harrah’s Philadelphia and Supporting Sponsors Sun East Federal Credit Union and White Horse Village, along with many other generous community members.

The Delaware County Literacy Council (DCLC) helps adults develop reading, writing, math, and English language skills so that these adults can thrive in the workplace and community. To learn more or to get involved, visit www.delcoliteracy.org.

News for You Grant Helps Literacy Students Learn Online

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ESL Class

Press Release of September 2, 2020

In March of 2020, the Delaware County Literacy Council (DCLC) was awarded a Mobile Learning Fund Grant from ProLiteracy. The grant provided a free subscription to News for You Online, a weekly newspaper with topical articles and literacy lessons that can be accessed online.

DCLC Instructor James Stein poses with some of his ESL students before the pandemic. When DCLC classes moved online this March, James and other DCLC instructors were able to use News for You Online, which was provided through a ProLiteracy Mobile Learning Fund Grant to the Literacy Council.

The timing of the grant turned out to be extra-helpful, given that DCLC interrupted all in-person learning on March 13, 2020, in accordance with Governor Wolf’s stay-at-home orders to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Since March 13, DCLC Teachers have been holding their classes in basic literacy, English as a Second Language (ESL), and GED preparation online. DCLC’s volunteer tutors have also been reaching out to their adult students via online video platforms, video chats, and by telephone. News for You Online has come in handy during this shift in instruction.

According to ESL Teacher James Stein, News for You Online is “easy to use during online classes since I can screen-share it and make use of the online features, such as the interactive article exercises. Sometimes I assign homework based on the Teacher’s Guide or we use it as a basis for class discussion. I like that there have been several articles related to COVID-19, which is on everyone’s minds. Reading them gives students a chance to share their concerns as well as learn some new information about it.”

Volunteer Tutor Peter Matthews used News for You Online with the two students he tutors in basic literacy. He describes a recent online session: “We spent a little more than an hour on two articles, reading them aloud and doing the exercises together.”

DCLC’s Director of Curriculum and Instruction Jenn Kacimi sees great value in the free online resource, explaining, “This has really been helpful to our teachers and tutors, especially with the move to online instruction.”

The Delaware County Literacy Council (DCLC) helps adults develop reading, writing, math, and English language skills so that these adults can thrive in the workplace and community. To learn more or to get involved, visit www.delcoliteracy.org.