2014-15 Annual Report - Richardson Adult Literacy Center

2014-15 Annual Report
Empowering Students. Enriching the Community.
Candida is now a U.S. citizen. Maria earned her GED. Anita got a raise. Ali
got a better job. Manuel was able to take on more responsibility at work.
Maria can now talk to her children’s teachers in English. Eberardo can
now read books to his children in English. These are just a few of the lifechanging goals RALC students achieved this year because of learning English.
English as a Second Language instruction has empowered these students,
and many others like to them, to reach their personal goals, enriching their
lives, the lives of their families and our community.
ESL for Adults
Immigrants traditionally have a low unemployment rate but many still live in poverty. Why?
Research shows that immigrants’ jobs are typically low-paying. To increase their pay, they
need to be able to read, write and speak English.
In fact, adults who aren’t English proficient
make 25-40% less than those in the same jobs.
RALC’s ESL for Adults program offers English
classes at nine levels, from beginning to advanced, where students learn to read, write,
speak and understand English. Students also
identify personal goals.
This past year, 25% of
378
goals identified were work-related, 39% selfimprovement related, 23% children’s educationrelated and 12% community-related. More than
85% of students made progress towards their
goals and 8% achieved at least one goal.
In its third year offering the ESL for Adults
program, RALC hosted 26 daytime and evening
classes with 25
students completing 2-3
consecutive years
of ESL classes.
adults enrolled in ESL for Adults classes this year.
ESL for Parents
2014-15 ESL for Parents Schools:
Aikin Elementary
Bukhair Elementary
Dover Elementary
Forest Lane Academy
Forestridge Elementary
Hamilton Park Pacesetter Magnet
Heights Elementary
Mark Twain Elementary
Northrich Elementary
RISD Academy
Spring Valley Elementary
Terrace Elementary
Wallace Elementary
84%
All parents want to help their children do well in
school. But for parents who don’t speak English,
this can be quite a challenge. From understanding papers that come home from school to helping with homework to communicating with
teachers, a parent can feel helpless.
More than 200 parents enrolled in ESL for Parents classes in 2014-15 at 13 Richardson ISD
elementary schools. In these classes, parents
learned basic English skills as well as English to
help them in the school environment. With this
knowledge, parents can better engage in their
children’s education, which,
research shows,
leads to greater
academic success for their
children.
of parents who completed the class passed the final assessment.
Teddy Bear Time
Helping young children develop strong preliteracy skills goes a long way in preparing them
for future academic success.
program, receiving books, activity cards, materials and suggestions of how to engage their children with fun pre-literacy activities at home.
Teddy Bear Time, a family literacy program offered at three RISD elementary schools this
year, continued to have great success. More
than 85 families participated in the 8-week
Organizations supporting Teddy Bear Time:
54%
Junior League of Richardson
Altrusa International of Richardson
Pearce Community Women’s League
Young Men’s Service League - Dal-Rich chapter
of parents said they read more often to their children after TBT.
Conversation Classes
Speaking and understanding spoken English
can be the most difficult and stressful part of
learning the language. RALC offers drop-in
English conversation
classes for registered
40
students who want additional practice or those
who call mid-semester, interested in starting
classes right away. Focusing on a new topic each
week, these classes help English language learners practice speaking in a comfortable setting.
countries were represented by conversation class students this year.
Volunteers: The Heart of RALC
The work RALC does in our community isn’t
possible without its incredible volunteers. Volunteer ESL teachers devoted more than 5,000
hours to teaching this year, which resulted in
more than 21,000 learning hours for students.
Other volunteers mentored new teachers, assisted at the RALC office, helped plan and work at
special events and much, much more.
“Volunteers are the cornerstone to all that’s
accomplished at RALC,” said Katie Patterson,
RALC’s executive director. “They’re the heart of
our organization.”
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Volunteers were honored in May at RALC’s first annual
Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast.
community members were RALC volunteers this year.
RALC News in 2014-15
RALC Celebrates 25 Years!
This year, 2015, marks 25 years of RALC
serving the Richardson/RISD community.
Mark your calendar for the big celebration:
HASR Volunteers of the Year
Kim Quirk, RALC board secretary, and Mary Osentowski, RALC past
president, were both honored as Volunteers of the Year at HASR’s
Annual Volunteer of the Year Luncheon.
International Festival
Celebrating RALC’s 25th Anniversary
Saturday, September 26
10am - 2pm
Fountain Plaza (Arapaho/Central Expwy)
Mimi Tanner, RALC’s founding executive director, was also honored
with the prestigious Dot McCalpin Founder’s Award.
RALC Staff Grows
Richardson Real Hero
RALC added two new part-time staff members this year:
Renato Sperandeo, longtime RALC
volunteer ESL teacher, was honored
as a Richardson Real Hero.
Lisa Althaus, Events & Communications Coordinator
Sara Bramlett, Volunteer Coordinator
2014-15 Financial Overview
2014-15 Revenue
2014-15 Expenses
RALC Board of Directors
RALC Advisory Council
RALC Staff
Mary Bedosky, President
Raul Hinojosa Jr., Vice President
Kay Hopper, Chair
Julianne Lovelace
Ted Ellis, Treasurer
Kim Quirk, Secretary
Barbara Berthold
Sandy Martin
Katie Patterson,
Executive Director
Susan Allison
Jose Moreno
Steve Benson
Fernando Medina
Gerald Bright
Mary Osentowski
Celina Cardenas
Yolanda Medina
Bill Ferrell
Shanna Sims-Bradish
Lois Ferrara
Jane Merz
Victor Garza
Nancy Stenberg
Marybeth Hoesterery
Chris Simmie
Linda Hem
Ginger Tonne
Janie Jaquier
Mimi Tanner
Brian Howell
Paul Vance
Patti Kieker
Karen Mitchell
Jessica Watts
Angela Gentz,
Program Coordinator
Sara Bramlett,
Volunteer Coordinator
Lisa Althaus,
Events & Communications Coordinator
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