Play Scrabble for a Good Cause

For nine years, participants in GHCC's Scrabble® Fundraiser for Literacy have gathered in the spirit of fun and games to support a good cause – fighting adult illiteracy in Baltimore City. This year marks the event’s tenth anniversary and with an estimated 100 players planning to attend, promises to be the best one yet with live music, a silent auction, food, beer, wine, and fun.

Over the years, the Scrabble® Fundraiser for Literacy has been attended by a wide range of Scrabble® lovers and even reunited friends and neighbors who had no idea of each other's dedication to GHCC's Adult Literacy & ESOL Program. GHCC recently caught up with veteran player and former literacy tutor Nancy Spritz, who fondly remembers the Scrabble® parties of years past and also talks a bit about why she continues to support the work we do.

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your connection to the Adult Literacy & ESOL Program.

I became an Adult Literacy volunteer tutor several years ago and continued for a few years. Unfortunately, I had to stop volunteering, but I have remained very supportive of GHCC

You’ve participated in the Annual Scrabble Fundraiser for Literacy since it started in 2002 (only missing two years!). What keeps you coming back each year?

I love Scrabble and I love reading, so I feel strongly about developing literacy for adult learners—what a perfect combination and what a great way to raise money for a worthwhile cause! So much better than going to a fancy charity dinner!

What was the most inspirational moment in all your years of participating in this event?

Seeing so many people—more and more each year—dedicated to this cause, doing something intellectual, and having a great time, too. And the competitive Scrabble players are also awesome and inspirational—I can’t get close to their level!

What is your favorite memory from past years of the Scrabble Fundraiser (if it’s different)?

I won the 50/50 raffle two years in a row! Also, my 87 year old mother came with me for several years, and my son joined me a few times too.

What would you say to anyone considering attending the event as a player/participant?

You don’t have to be a good or even regular Scrabble player; there are all levels of players and everyone there will be patient and kind about your abilities. You’ll meet people from all walks of life, do something different and educational, and in the process you’ll support a meaningful, worthwhile, important organization that makes Baltimore City a better place!

As the first participant to register for the Scrabble Party, what do you look forward to with this year’s anniversary celebration?

More and more interesting people, good food, stimulating wordplay, and neat prizes. I always look forward to seeing the people that I met in the first few years, like the sweet little ladies from the Liberty Road Senior Center who can beat the pants off me!

Our goal this year is to raise $10,000 in support of the Literacy Program. What would you say to encourage anyone considering a donation or sponsorship?

You will be contributing to a hands-on organization which helps individuals directly and substantially, and you can be assured that your limited charitable dollars will be doing the greatest good.

Hope to see you there!

Come and play on Saturday, March 26 at Calvert School's atrium. We'll host informal pickup games from 5:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. and two competetive formal rounds for prizes. Tickets are $50 per player ($40 for students or 62+). All proceeds support GHCC's Adult Literacy & ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) Program. Register here.

Volunteering With GHCC's Adult Literacy & ESOL Program

Submitted by Mary Kay Shock

I became involved with the Greater Homewood Literacy program 10 years ago when I retired. Greater Homewood Community Corporation seemed like a good local place to volunteer. Since I have a degree in literature, tutoring adults is a great fit for my skill-set. The regularly scheduled sessions give structure and a sense of purpose to my daily life after my retirement. The staff of the literacy program partnered me with learners whose schedules matched mine. The program also provided training, teaching materials, consultation and support from Greater Homewood Community Corporation’s friendly, expert staff.

The students I have worked with, since I began volunteering with Greater Homewood Community Corporation ten years ago, have become my friends. Every learner I have worked with is different and unique. One of my students could neither read nor write. We worked together for five years and by the end of our partnership he had become an American citizen with a full time job. The Greater Homewood Community Corporation Literacy program taught him how to read, write, and use a computer. These tools helped make him a successful American citizen.

A female student I worked with improved both her reading and writing skills. She even wrote two books of poems with her newly acquired knowledge! The man I am currently working with has improved in reading, spelling and math. He has achieved his goal of learning cursive writing.
Greater Homewood is a safe, convenient neighborhood with easy access to public transportation, stores, churches, libraries, cultural events, and volunteer opportunities. It truly is a great place to live.

GHCC's Adult Literacy & ESOL Program is seeking volunteers!  If you would like to tutor an adult basic education or ESOL learner, contact Jannette Seman at 410-261-0023.

National Adult Education and Family Literacy Week

Submitted by Todd Elliott

“Adult education” means many things to many people. To some it’s about yoga and Spanish classes at a local community college. To those of us in the professional field of adult literacy the phrase refers to a wide range of options in the continuum of lifelong learning: English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), basic education, GED test preparation, the External Diploma Program, and family literacy. And it goes beyond that – many adult literacy programs include computer instruction, workforce and employability assistance, and financial literacy.

Congress recently passed House Resolution 707 declaring this week of October 18 to 24, 2009 “National Adult Education and Family Literacy Week." As this issue is very close to our hearts at Greater Homewood Community Corporation, we are pleased to have the opportunity to recognize the successes of the adults who are working to improve their skills and their lives.

One of those learners is Martin, who has been with the Program since January 2009. When he enrolled after just a few weeks in the U.S., Martin’s English was spotty at best and he struggled to find the vocabulary to express himself. An engineer in his home country in Cameroon, Martin had to wait the necessary period before becoming eligible for a “green card,” his permission slip from the U.S. government to work. In late July, after a long search, he found employment as a machine operator. One day one he impressed his supervisor with his knowledge and skills, and he has already received a promotion.

To eliminate barriers caused by illiteracy and low communication skills, the Adult Literacy & ESOL Program at GHCC responds to individual learners’ needs by offering intensive, learner-centered instruction through classes and one-to-one tutoring. We serve two distinct populations, age 16 and older: adults in need of basic education, and immigrants seeking English language skills. Native-born learners focus on basic reading, writing, and math skill development, while immigrants work on basic to advanced English listening, speaking, and writing skills.

It is remarkable that in a nation as affluent as ours there continues to be a staggering number of adults who cannot read or write – nationally 90 million adults are eligible to receive adult education services (the National Assessment for Adult Literacy, 2008), and in Maryland more than 750,000 are without basic skills. The tragedy is that in our state only 5% of those adults actually receive instruction due to long wait lists.

In Baltimore City 35% of adults have less than a 12th grade education, and even more are at the lowest literacy levels. The Maryland State Department of Education last year reported that in today’s workforce a high school education is a minimum essential for employment, and individuals who earn a high school diploma or GED equivalent increase their annual wage capacity by $7,216. The work we do can and does make a difference.

So how can you help or get in involved? Here are some ideas:

• Tutor: Volunteer to work with a learner for basic reading, writing, math, or English instruction. GHCC has the only literacy and ESOL tutor trainings in Baltimore, so call us today to find out more.
• Donate: Contributions to our Adult Literacy & ESOL Program are invaluable as we seek to maintain these crucial services to the community.
• Advocate: Contact your national and local elected officials and encourage them to keep adult education in their priority areas. More importantly, encourage them to increase funding for adult education!
  

When it comes down to it, so many of our national issues are heavily reliant on strong literacy skills: health care must have literate, informed patients to be effective; our fiscal and economic health is based on a savvy consumer population; and we must all engage in constructive, responsive public discourse. All this and more can be achieved through successful adult education.

Todd Elliott
Director, Adult Literacy & ESOL Program
(410) 261-3524

Teaching at Greenmount Senior Center

Near the corner of North and Greenmount Avenues, across the street from the historic Greenmount Cemetery, you will find the Greenmount Senior Center (GSC), a recreation center dedicated to Korean residents of the Baltimore area. Though it’s not in Baltimore's best neighborhood, the center itself is clean, modern, and well-lit.

If you walk into one of the classrooms at the GSC at about 11:00 a.m. Tuesday through Thursday, you will see a group of 8 or 9 Korean seniors hard at work, determined to learn English. This is my class. They may be working quietly in pairs, they may be amusing their classmates with anecdotes about their life in the USA, or they may be sitting quietly in the back of the room, just trying to absorb it all. There are quite a few there who are already US citizens, others are working hard at earning their citizenship. Some have adopted American names; others, I address by their Korean ones. Though their skill levels are mixed, they all share a dedication to improving their English and therefore improving their lives in the USA. Most of them rarely miss a class as they tackle the daunting task of mastering a new language later in life.

The Greater Homewood Adult Literacy & ESOL Program teaches at many locations outside the four classrooms at our Homewood office in the basement of the University Baptist Church. The Greenmount Senior center is just one of them. We have sponsored classes at GSC for about two years, and I have been teaching there for one. The senior population at GSC is quite a contrast to the diverse and generally much younger population we teach here at our Homewood site, and it took me a while to adapt to working with them. Now I can say I learn at least as much from them as they do from me, if not more.

Submitted by Christian Clausen

Scrabble Fundraiser for Literacy: Photo Essay

Written by Jannette Seman

On Saturday, March 28, GHCC's Adult Literacy & ESOL Program hosted its Eighth Annual Scrabble Fundraiser for Literacy. A record number of players raised over $5700 for the program through registration fees, a raffle, and a silent auction.

March Madness games weren’t the only ones bringing people together this month. For the Literacy Program, March was quite the month for board games.

For the Literacy staff, spring brings flowers, showers, and Scrabble! On March 28, nearly 115 social and competitive Scrabble players braved the rainy weather for an evening of great fun and gamesmanship at the Eighth Annual Scrabble Fundraiser for Literacy, making this year’s event the most successful to date. Thanks to the wonderful assistance of the Literacy Advisory Board, we were able to obtain some amazing donations for player prizes and a silent auction (the first for this event) from several local businesses. Given the economic recession, the generosity in support of this year’s event was the most meaningful success of all.

Register Now for Adult Literacy and ESOL Classes

GHCC's Adult Literacy and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) program is accepting students now!

Registration is open for the winter session of adult basic education and English language classes. ESOL registration will be held on January 12-13 from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. both days at 3501 N. Charles Street. You can register for adult basic education classes by calling the program at 410-261-3524. That's also the number to call for more information.

GHCC serves more than 400 adult learners every year. Come see why our program has been one of the best for the last 20 years!