You're Invited to Our Summer Party
Join us for our annual summer shindig on
Tuesday, June 16th, at History House in Fremont (790 N 34th St)*! The party begins at 6 pm and will wrap up at about 8 pm. All students, volunteers, and friends of Literacy Source are invited to attend, and you're welcome to bring guests as well. All we ask is that you bring food to share with 8-10 others. We will be celebrating the many achievements of our students, including our newest US citizens, and hearing stories from a few students and volunteers. Please come on by - we would love to see you!
It's overall a very busy month, with our fiscal year and spring quarter drawing to a close. We will be holding our next
New Student Orientation at the end of the month as well, on June 29th and July 1st. If you or anyone you know is interested in becoming a student, please give us a call at 206-782-2050 to register today.
Continue reading for some important announcements about Literacy Source, as well as our usual monthly features. Thanks for taking the time to catch up with us!
*In last month's newsletter, we said that the party was on June 18th, but we've since changed the date so as not to conflict with Ramadan, celebrated by many of our students. Sorry for the confusion!
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Literacy Source is Growing!
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 We have loved our space in Fremont, but as our programs and opportunities for students continue to grow, the time has come to find a new home to better serve adult learners in Seattle. We are actively looking for an affordable space which retains our welcoming, neighborhood feel yet provides better access and opportunities for students, and we need your help!
What are we looking for?
- Bigger size - we are searching for a space with between 4,000-5,000 square feet with room for more classrooms and tutoring
- Better location - we are hoping to move to a more central location to provide better access for students
- Easier to get there - our ideal location will have excellent public transit access
- More opportunity for co-locating - we are very excited about the idea of co-locating with other service providers to increase opportunities for our students, and would love to discuss any possibilities for partnership!
What can you do? If you have any ideas or leads, or simply want to talk about this big move, please e-mail Lynn Livesley or call her at 206-782-2050. Thank you, and stay tuned!
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Student Spotlight: Abaynesh Debela
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Abaynesh and Aseffa at their naturalization ceremony in March
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Abaynesh Debela is this month's Student Spotlight! Abaynesh attended classes for over 25 hours. Originally from Ethiopia she has been coming to Literacy Source since September 2014. She faithfully attends classes with her husband, Aseffa - they are a lovely and charming couple!
Abaynesh first came to classes to gain citizenship. Both she and Aseffa successfully naturalized in March 2015 and still take ESL and computer classes with us in the morning and afternoon. Abaynesh is an excellent student and always has a smile on her face. She is excited to continue her education with us and gain more knowledge. Keep up the great work, Abaynesh!
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Like Us on Facebook!
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 Some of you might know that Literacy Source is on Facebook - but if not, could you do us a huge favor and
go over there now and "like" us? Not only is it a great way to get more frequent updates on what's going on around here, but it's also a simple way to show your support. We hope you share our page with friends and family, and that you tag us the next time you're at a Literacy Source event!
Help us reach 2,000 likes by next year - we're currently at 1,262. We can get there, with your help!
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Digital Literacy Grant and Job Opening
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 We were thrilled to be awarded a $25,610 second year grant through the City of Seattle Technology Matching Fund to help us increase the digital literacy skills of our students through expanded computer access and instruction. With support from the city and other funders, we will further integrate digital literacy skills into all our classes at our Learning Center and expand partnerships in the community to increase access and basic computer skills instruction for underserved adults, including:
- providing ESL + computers classes at area hospitals in a partnership with the SEIU NW Training Fund
- expanding our partnership with Seattle Colleges to support and integrate digital learning into four community-based ESL classes
- adding digital literacy skills to our community-based classes serving limited English proficient parents at Angle Lake Family Resource Center (SeaTac) and 4 Seattle public schools
Literacy Source will be hiring a Digital Literacy Coordinator this summer - please look on our website soon for more information about this opportunity!
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Staff Changes at Literacy Source
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 Lindsey Kafer, our amazing long-time Instructional Advisor, will be leaving at the end of the month. She has worked at Literacy Source since August 2010, and she has forged many wonderful connections with students and volunteers here. While we are terribly sad to see her smiling face go, we are also very happy for the many new adventures and opportunities that are ahead of her as she continues to learn and teach.
 South King County Coordinator
Halina Barras will be leaving in the beginning of July to travel the world. She has worked at Literacy Source since October 2012, teaching ESL classes in South King County and SEIU. She is beloved by her students, and will be greatly missed. Best of luck in your upcoming adventures, Halina!
 Our two work study administrative assistants,
Brielle Cosgrove and
Yeboah Appiah-Agyekum, are graduating from Seattle Pacific University and have moved on from their positions here. Brielle worked here for a little over a year, and Yeboah began this February. We'll miss their youthful energy around the office, and know that they will have such bright futures!
 On a less sad note, we're excited to share that
Anne Soerens, our Community Partnership Coordinator and Lead Parent ESL Instructor, will be joining the staff full time starting July 1st! Anne has been diligently working part time coordinating and teaching several off-site classes this year, and so we're thrilled to have her on board for 35 hours a week!
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Volunteer Needs
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 We are currently seeking volunteers! To find out more, please attend the next
New Volunteer Orientation (NVO) on Wednesday, July 1st, at 1 pm or 7 pm. You can
sign up online in advance, if you wish. NVOs are always the first Wednesday of each month. If you have any questions, please e-mail
Caroline or give her a call at 206-782-2050.
All positions are at the Fremont center (720 N 35th St) unless stated otherwise
One-on-one tutors
(3 hrs a week/2x1.5 hrs, flexible between 9 am-8:30 pm)
- Reading & writing
- Math
- ESL
- Citizenship
One-on-one ESL tutors (2 hrs a week/2x1 hr, Tue and Thu 1:15-2:15 pm - Downtown Seattle Library)
Co-instructors (2x2 hrs/week)
- ESL & Computers (Tue and Th 9-11 am)
- ESL & Workplace Skills (Tue and Thu 9-11 am)
- Citizenship (Mon and Wed 6-8 pm)
Library support (2 hrs a week, flexible between 9 am-8:30 pm)
Student assessment proctors (2-5 hrs, 2x/month)
Mock interviews (1 hr as needed)
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Volunteer Spotlight: Byron Wong
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Byron Wong has volunteered as an ESL tutor at Literacy Source since July 2014, and we're happy to spotlight him this month! He will be taking part in the Rock 'n' Roll marathon on June 13th in Seattle. He is generously donating all his sponsorship to Literacy Source! Here's his story:
My parents, who were born and raised in Hong Kong, had significantly better opportunities; my mother and father had about 6 and 9 years of formal education respectively. They are not only literate in Chinese, but also know English. They went on to get blue-collar jobs to raise my brother and me. My brother and I had better opportunities than our parents still. Growing up in the '90s in Hong Kong, we received a world-class education from kindergarten all the way to secondary school. My brother went on to earn a degree in film. I came to the US to earn first a bachelor's degree, then a master's degree in engineering, thanks in part to all the English I learned throughout all the years of schooling in Hong Kong. These are educational achievements that my grandparents could not even dream of.
I can't help but be amazed by the difference education has made in the three generations in my own family. Eighty years ago, back-breaking farm work was the only thing my grandmother knew how to do to support her family. Today I have an office job in a tech company. I use the highly-specialized knowledge and skills I acquired from my education and apply them to my job every day.
In today's world, literacy skills and basic education are the first steps to self-sufficiency and socioeconomic mobility. My grandmother often expressed regret that she didn't have a chance to go to school. I decided to volunteer my time at Literacy Source so that I can give that opportunity to someone else.
Thanks so much, Byron, for sharing your story and for your commitment to Literacy Source!
You can donate to support Byron in his run for literacy here:
https://give.everydayhero.com/us/byron-wong
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New OIRA Report
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The City of Seattle Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs (OIRA) recently released the
2015 Immigrant Voting Task Force report. It's an in-depth look into the issues that affect civic and political participation by immigrant communities in Seattle, and includes creative and practical recommendations for increased civic involvement and voter participation. It's an interesting read for those who want to learn more about how the city is working to engage all of its residents.
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Upcoming Events
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2nd Annual Brewery Tour
Come hang out with Literacy Source at one (or all!) of our upcoming brewery nights! Proceeds benefit our programs.
Lowercase Brewing - Thursday, June 11th (tomorrow!) at 4-9 pm, 8103 8th Ave S
Counterbalance Brewing Company - Thursday, July 16th at 3-8 pm, 503 S Michigan St
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Office Hours
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Literacy Source is open:
Mon-Thu, 8:30 am-8:30 pm
Friday, appointment only
Upcoming important dates:
June 22nd-25th: last week of spring term
June 28th-July 2nd: No classes - tutoring, NSOs, and testing only
July 6th-9th: first week of summer term
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Copyright © 2015. All Rights Reserved.
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