Earl has improved his decoding and encoding skills, learned the vowel sounds, and broken the sight word guessing habit. His reading gains resulted in two recent job offers from the Prince George County school bus system and the DC Metro system.  Earl now has the opportunity to decide which opportunity to pursue.

His favorite part of the Wilson Reading System is charting, a weekly assessment demonstrating mastery of learned concepts, which he now sees as a challenge. Earl explains, “I overcame the fear, and enjoy the challenge.”

Earl thanks his instructors, Beth Mallon, and Martha Tansey, for their support.

Margaret Carlson, contributor to the Atlantic, and Steve Clemons, Editor-At-Large for the Atlantic

WLC’s Love Letters for Literacy event was a huge hit! Two days before Valentine’s Day, WLC held its 20th annual gala at The National Museum of Women in the Arts in the heart of the District. The goal was to raise funds for its literacy program. Over 160 participants were in attendance, celebrity emcees presided and former U.S. Senator Don Nickles (R-OK) used his formidable skills as an auctioneer to encourage higher and higher bids. The Senator convinced one attendee to pay a hefty sum for a pair of stunning blue topaz chandelier earrings donated by Shah & Shah. Cocktail hour featured the Vermont Valentine, a signature drink created for Love Letters.

This year’s extravagant event will fund the nuts and bolts of WLC’s operation, including: student notebooks for 15 classes, student readers and phoneme tile boards for five classes, student materials for three Just Words classes and six year-long transportation scholarships for selected students.

Those who attended Love Letters were there to support our students. Margaret Carlson, contributor to the Atlantic, and Steve Clemons, Editor-At-Large for the Atlantic, served as the night’s celebrity emcees and introduced one of the event’s readers, Jim VandeHei, co-founder and Executive Editor for Politico. Jim told his story of foregoing the certainty of a steady job to pursue his dream of starting a media organization.

Like Jim, WLC’s adult students are pursuing their dream of learning how to read and gaining the independence that comes with it. As impressive as Jim, Senator Nickles and the others were, Gregory Gerald stole the show. He learned how to read as an adult, thanks to his hard work and WLC’s intensive literacy program. Gregory told his story of struggle, determination and perseverance. Nodding to Mr. VandeHei and his politically-inclined audience, Gregory proclaimed that he’s now an avid reader of Politico. The crowd roared with approval!

Without the vital contributions of our loyal and generous supporters, the Washington Literacy Center would not be able to meet its mission. They are the foundation of WLC’s success. In this issue, we salute our supporters and introduce Julie and Randall Crom.

Julie and Randy grew up in the Midwest and met while studying at Iowa State University. After living in several states, Puerto Rico and Europe, they moved to Washington, DC. Both work for the federal government. Julie is a training manager for the Department of Transportation. Randy is a veterinarian for the Department of Agriculture, where he plans for and helps coordinate responses to outbreaks of livestock diseases.

Their experience overseas made Julie appreciate the obstacles imposed by illiteracy. Imagine if you couldn’t read street signs or instructions. She believes that literacy is a fundamental life skill that expands opportunities. Randy feels that that literacy is so fundamental to functioning in a modern society that it should be treated as a basic human right.

These beliefs brought Julie and Randy to WLC in 2005. With a background as an ESL tutor and a desire to help those who hadn’t received the same opportunities, she looked for a literacy program in DC. Julie signed on for tutoring. Happily, her initial foray coincided with the piloting of WLC’s small class instruction program, which was a supplement to its one-on-one tutoring program. With Julie’s training background and Master’s degree in Adult Education, the classes came naturally to her. She served as a co-instructor on Wednesday nights until 2009. Through her years of class instruction, Julie found it rewarding to see her students advance successfully through the lessons.

With increasingly busy lives, Julie and Randy haven’t been able to volunteer. But they continue to support the organization through their financial contributions, and enjoy attending Love Letters for Literacy as a way to stay involved and keep up with WLC’s progress.

Without reservation, Julie and Randy continue to support WLC’s programs. As they tell us:

“It is ironic that Washington DC is regularly ranked as one of the most literate cities in the country, yet there are many residents with low levels of literacy. These students work hard, and deserve to have a support structure to help them improve their literacy skills and, in doing so, their opportunities in life. It is incredible what WLC can do with a relatively small amount of money, just think what could be done with more support!”

We couldn’t have said it better ourselves. We salute Julie and Randy Crom for all they do for WLC, Where Lives Change.

Mary T Algire (Terry), Executive Director

Terry started working in adult literacy in 2003 as the Executive Director for Learn To Read, an adult literacy program located in Jacksonville, Florida. She moved to Washington, DC, in September 2010 to join the Washington Literacy Center.

Christina Keen, Case Manager

Since October 2008, Christina Keen has provided case management services to help students overcome barriers to attendance and set job and educational goals. Prior to her work with the WLC, Christina ran empowerment and art therapy programs for at-risk teen girls in Tallahassee, FL.

Kenisha Boone, Program Manager

In 2010 and 2011 Kenisha completed two social work internships at the Center. With a graduate certificate in nonprofit management and program experience with Jubilee Jobs, she has returned to oversee daily operations and manage volunteers.

Quentin Jackson, Data Entry Specialist

Quentin has been involved with the WLC since November, 2002 as both a tutor and data entry specialist. Now retired from Verizon, Quentin established and managed the Community Relations Outreach team in DC. In addition, he trained women in non-traditional (male-dominated) craft assignments, and high school students in entry level Verizon positions into which they were hired after graduation.

Adrienne Danforth, Lindsey Berry, Cheryl Kariya, Yolanda Jones, Beth Mallon, Martha Tansey, are the WLC classroom instructors providing direct instruction using the Wilson Reading System.

Details:

Ticket includes 8 premium Irish whiskey tastes at 8 of Dupont’s favorite bars during this premier daylong event. Specials on beer and food pairings. Uber is giving a $20 first ride credit for new users to participants! Free swag. A portion of ticket sales benefit Becky’s Fund and Washington Literacy Center. No cover at any bar. Cheers!

For Group Rate: Must purchase 8 or more tickets.

For V.I.P. Rate: Check-in begins 1 hour early, at 11:00am; Food Entree includes Breakfast or Lunch entree selection from the Executive Chef at James Hoban’s

Regular Check-in: James Hoban’s from 12:00-3:00pm. VIP Early Check-In begins at 11:00am. After that, go in any order you choose!

Participating Venues: Board Room, Buffalo Billiards, Irish Whiskey, James Hoban’s, Mackey’s, Maddy’s, MadHatter, Science Club.

Featured Whiskeys: Kilbeggan, Tryconnell, Redbreast 12 Year, Powers Gold Label, Powers Special Reserve 12 Year, Jameson 12 Year Special Reserve, Jameson Select Reserve Black Barrel, Jameson.

(1 ounce pour of each whiskey is included in ticket price)

Beer Specials Include: Guinness, Harp, Smithwick’s, Abita Turbodog, Yuengling and Miller Lite. (varies by venue: $3.00-5.00)

Food Specials: Chef’s Selection. (varies by venue: $4.00-8.00)

Dress Code: No formal dress code, but you are of course encouraged to wear your favorite GREEN attire.

ALL PARTICIPANTS MUST BE 21 AND OVER WITH VALID ID.

PLEASE WALK RESPONSIBLY.

You’ll enjoy complimentary drinks and appetizers – including a specialty cocktail named by Washington Loves Romance readers – in a fun, casual atmosphere. Prizes, including a huge gift basket stuffed with all kinds of book goodies and a $50 Amazon gift card, will be given away.

Learn more about one of the leading women’s fiction organizations, as well as one of the most prolific groups of romance writers in the United States, here.