Return-Path: <nifl-aalpd@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id j4N1TjG00603; Sun, 22 May 2005 21:29:45 -0400 (EDT) Date: Sun, 22 May 2005 21:29:45 -0400 (EDT) Message-Id: <42913067.2070203@goldfieldaccess.net> Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-aalpd@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-aalpd@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-aalpd@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: Archie Willard <millard@goldfieldaccess.net> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-aalpd@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-AALPD:2177] The Literacy Walk X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed Status: O Content-Length: 3048 Lines: 60 Friday, May 19 I traveled 100 miles to Des Moines for a literacy walk/rally organized by Ann Murr, director of the Drake University Adult Literacy Program. The walk started at Nolen Plaza next to a shopping mall. There were tutors, teachers, adult students and other caring people. Some people just came and made a donation to the literacy program and then left. This all took place over the noon hour. Michelle Swieter, Miss Johnson County 2005, who is a candidate for Miss Iowa, was there. She was greeting people as they came and giving them encouragement. One of the tutors who is also a sixth grade teacher in a suburb of Des Moines had asked her six grade students if they wanted to help raise money for the reading program at Drake. They went door to door and raised $1171 dollars for the program. This walk was to raise money for the Drake Program and to bring awareness to adult literacy. There were well over one hundred of us and we were led by the 25 six graders who raised the $1171 dollars. <>We walked a mile carrying our literacy signs through the shopping mall and the sky walks of downtown Des Moines. Along the way people asked what we were protesting and we told them we were trying to bring awareness to adult literacy. As I walked this mile it felt good to keep up with all the sixth graders. We were young and old working together for a cause. As I walked, I visited with a man who tutored for the program. As we talked, our conversation turned to politics. One of us was a conservative and the other was a liberal, but we were walking together and agreeing that adult literacy was a good thing for our country and that the adult literacy programs across the nation should to be funded by our government. At the end of the walk we gathered together and Michelle gave a literacy pep talk and then sang for us. Some of us spoke about how important it is for adult non-readers to go back and learn to read. Ann was the last to speak. She told us about one of her adult students who was supposed to be one of the main speakers and she was sorry he could not be there, but that this was good and bad. It was bad that he was not there, but it was good because it was his first day on his new job after being in her literacy program. She then thanked us all for coming. I went home feeling that this was a good day for adult literacy. <>IN IOWA WE HAVE SOME GOOD THINGS GOING FOR US IN ADULT LITERACY: 1 Our state has one of the best reporting systems in our country. 2 We have had 15 consecutive state literacy conferences for adult learners. <>3 We have a working partnership with the Iowa Health System to help build better commutations between health care providers and adult learners. 4 We have worked with the Iowa Secretary of State to help him to improve voting in Iowa. <>5 This September the New Readers of Iowa will be having a health literacy conference and I hope some of you can attend. -- Archie Willard URL - http://www.readiowa.org/archiew.html
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Mon Oct 31 2005 - 09:48:37 EST