Literacy DuPage Receives $20,000 Community Needs Grant from DuPage Foundation Literacy DuPage was one of 31 not-for-profit organizations to receive a grant through DuPage Foundation’s Community Needs Grant Program (Community Needs). During the Fall 2021 Community Needs cycle, DuPage Foundation awarded $432,193 to organizations working in education, arts & culture, environment, and animal welfare. Literacy…
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Meet Roy and Stephen. Growing up in a poor household in Jamaica, Roy began working at a young age in the construction industry, manually moving concrete and forming buildings’ foundations. Life was hard, and he did not have regular meals. Consequently, due to his family’s need for Roy’s financial contribution, he could not attend school…
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October is Health Literacy Month. This year marks the 22nd anniversary of Health Literacy Month, presented by the Institute for Healthcare Advancement. This annual, worldwide awareness-raising event is a time to promote, integrate, and expand the mission of health literacy, which is defined as how people find, understand, and use information and services to inform…
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A refugee story After fleeing religious persecution and military conscription, Sung and Kap embarked on a harrowing journey to the United States from Myanmar in 2011. Through World Relief’s refugee resettlement program, they were placed in DuPage County. Growing up in Myanmar, Sung was fortunate to experience a formal education, which included learning some foundational…
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A diverse range of cultures in DuPage County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 18.9% of DuPage County residents (176,000) are foreign-born, which is higher than the national average of 13.7%. This large immigrant population has produced a rich palette of languages across the county. In 2018, 26.5% (232,282) residents spoke a…
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Marlea is a self-identified “volunteer-aholic.” Growing up in Michigan, Marlea’s father was a devoted member of the Methodist Church, and he made volunteering a priority in his family’s life. Serving others is still engrained in Marlea. When Marlea retired in 2015 from teaching Industrial Tech to junior high school students, she wanted to do something…
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Being afraid to speak English is common for many Literacy DuPage students. Adult Basic Education (ABE) student Gosia was troubled when she was told that her spoken English was difficult to understand, even though she had high proficiency in English. She enrolled in English classes, but they didn’t correct her pronunciation or increase her vocabulary.…
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Hablemos! Let’s Talk! Hablemos unites the community. Hablemos is a Spanish- and English-language conversation group for DuPage County residents. It’s a community effort with Literacy DuPage facilitating the discussion, and WeGo Together for Kids (a collective impact collaboration of West Chicago Elementary School District 33) providing the Zoom platform for the group to meet. Before…
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Poor English-language skills can increase isolation. Not knowing English in America can cause a learner to feel lonely and detached. For Literacy DuPage learner Soyoung, not being able to interact in her community left her with feelings of depression. Then she heard about Literacy DuPage from a friend, and she was excited for the opportunity…
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Tutor Laura is all about books and literacy. Literacy DuPage tutor Laura K. is a published poet and short story writer. She’s also energetic, funny, kind, compassionate, and encouraging. Laura is an example of how literacy can improve lives. From an early age, Laura learned that reading and writing were essential components of success. Neither…
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