Jacksonville, FL

Literacy is a challenge for some Northeast Florida residents. This is a followup to last week’s story about Literacy Pros of Jacksonville. Volunteer Michelle Worley (center) talks with authors Victor DiGenti (left) and Dorothy K. Fletcher (right) during a recent event Worley coordinated at Barnes and Noble in St. Johns Town Center.

Literacy Pros of Jacksonville, Inc., held their very first fundraiser Saturday at Barnes and Noble in the St. Johns Town Center. Customers who picked up a book fair voucher from the organization’s display tables, or those who printed the form online, could present it to the cashier at checkout. Literacy Pros would then get a percentage of the sale.

Donations are a necessity for this all-volunteer group, whether they come as cash or time. “We don’t have any staff,” says Michelle Worley. “We’re an all-volunteer group.”

The group trains individuals to effectively teach basic literacy skills, and to prepare interested tutors to become Certified Literacy Trainers.

A 1999 study by the Jacksonville Community Council, Inc. found the literacy rate in Northeast Florida hovered at approximately 53 percent. According to LPOJ, almost 50 percent of adults on welfare lack a high school diploma or equivalency certificate.

The biggest challenge for volunteers, says Worley, is the “time commitment.” Worley works full-time herself, at Wachovia Bank, but she says, “The other part of my life is literacy.”

As part of their fundraiser, LPOJ invited Jacksonville authors Dorothy K. Fletcher and Victor DiGenti to talk about writing and sign their books for guests. Dorothy has contributed to literacy in a big way—in addition to being an award-winning author, she taught English and writing in Duval public schools for 35 years.

DiGenti, also an award-winning author, is a key figure in the Florida Writers Association—he’s regional director for our area. FWA has about 800 members.

Literacy Pros has parnered with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office to provide workshops for inmates interested in becoming tutors. The group also works with worship groups on training tutors, as well as corporations and schools.

Literacy is one of the single greatest weapons a community can employ in dealing with poverty and the crime that often follows. If you’d like more information about Literacy Pros, visit the Web site.

Word Press, Technorati, Tags, Literacy, Education, crime prevention, tutor, reading skills, Northeast Florida, volunteer, civic group, adult reading skills

Dorothy K. Fletcher heads into a Washington, D. C. hotel. Fletcher and I read together at the U.S. Library of Congress for “Florida Poets Arrive.” Fletcher appears at Barnes and Noble in St. John’s Town Center on Saturday as part of a Literacy Pros event.

Literacy Pros celebrates a dedication to adult literacy at Barnes and Noble in the St. Johns Town Center (10280 Midtown Parkway) on Saturday, June 16. The Bookfair runs from opening to closing, 9 a.m.-11 p.m., when a percentage of every sale made will be donated to Literacy Pros. Jacksonville authors Dorothy K. Fletcher (Zen Fishing and Other Southern Pleasures) and Victor DiGenti (Windrusher series) will talk with guests and sign books from 4-6 p.m.

That evening features music by Damien Lamar and Laurel Lee from 7-8 p.m. Lee has a great Web site; you can find out about the new CD Why don’t we get married featuring Laurel Lee and the Escapees. Lamar is well-known in Northeast Florida, and his selections offer a variety of styles. Visit Lamar’s Web site to learn more.

I’ve read with Fletcher on many occasions, and her poetry and prose weave stories of the past and present, illustrated by specific events and happenings in the South. She has a low-key sense of humor; she loves to talk writing. DiGenti is a key figure in writing events around Northeast Florida because he’s regional director for the Florida Writers Association. DiGenti’s first novel was praised by actress Betty White and it’s popular with cat lovers of all ages. Both are award-winning authors with several books in the marketplace and they enjoy talking to people.

The Web site for Literacy Pros says the organization was founded in 2003 by “a local group of dedicated literacy volunteers. These trainers and tutors were interested in finding new ways to deliver literacy training to the community.” A recent success story is the Prison Literacy Program in conjunction with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s office.

Events like this provide a great way to help worthy organizations and have some fun at the same time. So pick up a book, sip on some coffee or tea and enjoy the music on Saturday.

You’ll need a voucher to be sure the sale is tagged for Literacy Pros; for convenience, you may print one from the Web site. (photo and text by Kay B. Day)

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Josh Scobee, field goal kicker for the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars, reads to children who participate in at-risk programs for youth administered by The Bridge, at Barnes and Noble in Mandarin.

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I talked with Zoe Ann Boyle yesterday about summer day camp for children at The Bridge of Northeast Florida, an organization offering support for education, nutrition, health and counseling for at-risk youth. Boyle told me something, citing study findings by Johnson & Johnson, that astounded me. “African-American children,” she says, “are 50 to 60 times more likely to drown.”
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In April I wrote a story for the Florida Times Union about the Jacksonville Motherless Daughters group. Valerie Benton and Nicki Chandler founded the support group as a means of reaching out to other women who had experienced the pain of losing a mother.

Benton, a professional life coach with Summit Marketing and Coaching, says the group is growing. “People are a little hesitant sometimes,” she says. That’s not surprising. Losing a mother is one of the most emotional events a person confronts. But the support group seems to help. “Our last meeting was incredible,” says Benton, who recalls what one woman told her.

A member thanked her for the group’s support, saying, “You have no idea what it means just to be able to talk about this.”

That’s exactly what Benton and Chandler like to hear. Chandler just wrapped up her master’s degree in social work. She had deeply personal reasons to reach out to others because her own mother died when Chandler was 15 years old. Chandler eventually found a book by Hope Edelman, “Motherless Daughters, the Legacy of Loss.” She says that book really helped her to make sense of what happened when she was so young.

Benton was an adult when her mother died. She describes her mother as her “best friend.”

The founders of Jacksonville Motherless Daughters founded a support group that provides a positive outlet for their own sense of loss and helps others at the same time. Benton describes it as moving “from grief to gratitude.”

The group’s next meeting is Monday, June 18, at 6:30 p.m. at the Southeast Branch Library, 10599 Deerwood Park Blvd. Participants must be 18 or older; membership is free.

Learn more on the Web at Jacksonville Motherless Daughters Group .

Shown in photo above are Valerie Benton (left) and Nicki Chandler (right), founders of the Jacksonville Motherless Daughters Support Group. –Photo by Kay Day

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