Expanding literacy awareness has been the passion of the Literacy Coalition of Palm Beach County for over twenty years.  Its Read Together program is today the biggest literacy marketing force in the county, engaging thousands of people from rural church groups to urban civic organizations, from libraries to newspapers, in choosing, reading and discussing books.  Under Executive Director Darlene Kostrub’s leadership, every sector of the county is included in Coalition’s activities.  The following two stories dramatize that commitment to “Leading Through Reading.”

“Everyone gets affirmed – Everyone’s a winner” in the Adult Student Essay Contest

“Last year, 800 people submitted essays, writing on the subject, ‘If you could spend the day with President Obama, what would you talk about?’” said Darlene, describing the Coalition’s annual Adult Student Essay Contest.  Already in 2010, the Literacy Coalition has received hundreds of entries from students in faith- and community-based programs and in public GED and ABE programs, writing on the topic, “If you had one day to change the world, what would you do?”

The Adult Student Essay Contest encourages all adult learners to submit essays, each of which is read for content and returned to the authors with written comments by volunteers from Lawyers for Literacy, Junior League, Bankers for Literacy and a host of other community leaders.  Essay participants, representing all literacy levels, are recognized at a March banquet.  On April 15, the writers come together for a big reception.  As Darlene explains, “When they see and hear from all kinds of people from all over the county – all of them adult learners – they feel proud to be part of this literacy movement.”

Glades Family Education:  Celebrating a Model of Leadership Development

When the Barbara Bush Foundation published its 2009 Celebrating Family Literacy for Twenty Years, Palm Beach County’s Glades Family Education was one of nine programs lifted up out of the 773 family literacy programs supported by the Foundation over the years.  Located in a community that lives with great poverty, Glades Family Education used an early Barbara Bush Foundation grant to leverage support from many other sources of funding, enabling it not only to grow and thrive but to build a center that today is bursting at the seams.

“Three staff are former students,” Darlene says, emphasizing the Coalition’s commitment to developing community leaders.  “Ana Alvarez and Lydia Guzman are in charge of our early education programs, and Laura Calderon teaches an adult education class.”  Darlene added,   “Laura was recognized as the Barbara Bush Adult Learner of the Year in 2006.  Even as she is now a teacher, she’s still a student – an inspiration to her fellow students and a model leader for her community.”

For more information about the Literacy Coalition of Palm Beach County, visit www.literacypbc.org or call Darlene Kostrub, Executive Director, at 561-279-9103.

2010 Conference Registration Now Available!

2010 Conference Registration Now Available!

Registration is online through our conference partnership at coabeproliteracy2010.org Click here to register online.

• Please select one of the National Community Literacy Pre-Conference Afternoon Half Day Sessions on March 15^th from the list provided on the registration website.
  12:30 – 4:30p.m. @ $60 (does not include lunch)

Select one:

1. Harnessing the Community’s Power  [for coalitions less than 3 years old]
2. State and Regional Collaborations [for state and regional coalitions]
3. Maintaining Excellence: Sustaining Outstanding Coalitions [for experienced coalitions]

• There is no charge to Community Literacy attendees for the National Community Literacy Awards Luncheon on Tuesday, March 16^th! This includes coalitions, coalition members, Literacy Funders Network members, and invited guests.

• Please select Wednesday through Friday luncheons and special tours you would like to attend.

• Payments will be made to Illinois Adult and Continuing Educators Association, FEIN # 36-3018280

Click here to register online.

More Useful Information

Click National Community Literacy Chicago 2010 Progam for a look at the overall conference schedule.

For details on pre-conference and conference sessions click Community Literacy Sessions

Hotel Information

Rooms at the Hilton are Sold Out

Rooms at the overflow hotel, The Blackstone (directly across the street) are available at the same rate of $158.

Call 312-542-3431 during business hours or call 1-888-236-2427 (and specify the Blackstone Renaissance) to make your reservations.

When making reservations callers should request the group rate for COABE/ProLiteracy 2010 Annual Meeting.

Any Questions?

Please contact Kim Scott, Literacy Powerline, at kim@literacypowerline.com or 315.857.6960.

We encourage everyone to join the 1,000,000 for Literacy: Shatter the Silence facebook site before we take the Declaration for the Right to Literacy to President Obama in the spring.

By joining you add your vote and voice to the Right to Literacy. You are part of getting the message out and raising awareness that will help change the system and build a culture of literacy across the country.

Click here to join our group on facebook! Or search 1,000,000 for Literacy on facebook.

Thank you for joining and adding your leadership to the cause!

Your Literacy Powerline Team