a flyer posted at the local library, or word of mouth from a former student, tutor, or board member.
While nearly half of the Literacy Council’s board members are also tutors, all of them are committed to reaching more and more community members through new avenues of promotion and communication.
If you have ideas for how to share the mission and vision of Shawano County Literacy Council to new and more individuals, please reach out via email at shawanolitco@yahoo.com, visit the website – shawanocountyliteracy.org, or find them on Facebook @ShawanoLitCo.
In an effort to be more involved and engaged in the community, have robust board participation, and a better understanding of the goals and mission of the organization, Shawano County Literacy Council’s Board of Directors has been reviewing Global Giving’s “Ten Questions Everyone at Your Nonprofit Should Be Able to Answer.”
Question one consists of describing the organization’s mission, which is,
“Shawano County Literacy Council is a nonprofit all-volunteer organization whose main purpose is to provide tutorial services to any adult student wishing to become literate or skilled in speaking, reading and writing the English language.”
Questions two asks, “Why should donors trust your organization?” At a recent board meeting, members brainstormed reasons why and ways to help increase that trust.
Some really impressive ideas were suggested, as well as reasons why the council is valuable to the community. Some of the top examples include:
Having support from Wisconsin Literacy, a well-known literacy provider
Showing documented success and results
Providing a valuable and free community service
Receiving numerous donations and grants from other local community organizations and foundations
Maintaining transparency and approachability in all its functions
Ensuring the longevity of volunteers
It was a majority consensus that, in addition to all the things mentioned, the biggest reason that donors – and the community-at-large, should trust Shawano County Literacy Council is
They believe in what they do.
The board of directors for Shawano County Literacy Council is a diverse group of women in varying stages of life and are always looking to expand volunteer opportunities to any interested parties.
You can connect with Shawano County Literacy Council via email shawanolitco@yahoo.com, or phone 715-524-6506, on Facebook @ShawanoLitCo, or their website shawanocountyliteracy.org.
Shawano County Literacy Council, a volunteer run council nestled in rural Wisconsin, works with English language learners and adults who want to improve their reading and writing, many of whom work on farms. They also collaborate with the local technical college. Gini, a volunteer who has been with the council since the beginning, said, “[The Technical College] calls us and asks us for help with reading and writing basic English. They have asked for help with HSED students.”
With volunteer dedication, they are 27 years strong. “I’m proud of the dedication of our tutors especially during the pandemic this past year. Even though the majority of us are technologically challenged somewhat ourselves, we navigated tutoring virtually with willingness and a can do spirit,” says Melody Boyd, Board Chair and tutor.
During the pandemic, they provided Chromebooks (some from Wisconsin Literacy) and refurbished laptops to some of their learners. Currently, Shawano County Literacy Council is exploring connectivity options for their students. “We realized for the future, too, that virtual learning is here to stay; and actually we find that we can reach more students that way,” Melody said.
Being rural, they work with students from large farms such as Green Valley Farms. Tutors who work with those students focus on farm related terms to improve the communication between the farm workers and owners.
Farm work can be 12 hour days. Before virtual instructions, students, exhausted after a long day of work, had to drive 40 minutes into town to meet with their tutors. Now, they can connect remotely and more easily include instruction into their work and home lives.
Melody explained, “We are still learning ourselves. Most of the tutors who are tutoring virtually are doing it via Zoom or Google Meets or whatever really works for the learner. It’s exciting and we are learning right along with them.”
Literacy skills strengthen their community overall. Their students own businesses including a restaurant, a grocery store, a landscaping company and a bakery. Many students continue on to higher education and get job promotions. With their improved literacy skills, they attend school conferences and understand more about their children’s education.
Gini shared why she’s worked with the council for 27 years: I love reading. If you can read, you can do anything! I enjoy the relationships I have with my students. It gives me great joy to see the lightbulb come on. The greatest thing my first student ever said to me was ‘Gini, I don’t think I need you anymore.’ And that’s my goal.
The Shawano County Literacy Council is a non-profit organization that provides a free, confidential service to teach non-reading adults to read and speak English.