Saying good-bye . . .

Sister Kathleen (Kit) Kaiser, csj, came to Ionia in April 1996 and has worked these past 16 years for the Catholic Diocese of Grand Rapids in pastoral ministry to the Spanish-speaking population in Ionia and Montcalm Counties.

Because of her concern for the literacy of her Hispanic community, she offered English classes at SS Peter & Paul School for three years to Spanish-speaking adults. It was during this time that she met Mary AnnHagemeyer,director of the Ionia County Literacy Council,and was askedtojoinforcesin establishing an ESL program (English as a Second Language) with the council.

Sister Kit joined the council as an adjunct member and in 2008 became a board member.During her 13 years with the council, she has been active in all areas of adult literacy promoted by the council, but most especially in recruiting teachers and students for the ESL program in both Ionia and Belding.

In early January, Sister Kit will be leaving the Ionia area to take a position near Kalamazoo. Shewill always consider Ionia one of her many ‘homes’ and the people of Ionia part of her dear ‘family’.

Sister Kit has been a dedicated member of the Ionia County Literacy Council Board of Directors and will be dearly missed by all.

. . . and hello

Karen Perkins, joined the Ionia County Literacy Council Board of Directors on October 13, 2011.

Karen brings 25 years of case management experience in employment-related services to the literacy council. She began that service with EightCap in 1986.

 Currently Karen is Lead Case Manager at the Ionia County Michigan Works! office in Ionia, where she oversees the Workforce Investment Act Employment and Training Programs, as well as the Jobs Education and Training Programs.

Karen also has been involved in the community in a number of ways, including serving as an Ionia Chamber of Commerce Ambassador for 22 years. Most recently she served as chairwoman of the 2011 Ionia Free Fair Women’s Day event.

Karen’s work and volunteer experience will prove to be a valuable asset to the mission of the literacy council, and we feel honored to have her aboard.

Meet our newest tutors

Janet Baker of Muir, Carol Larsen-Roddy of Portland, Jan Nurenberg of Westphalia, Nanette Goupil of Greenville, Marilyn Peckins of Lyons, and Sandra Meitler of Portland proudly display their certificates of completion at the end of a 12-hour tutor training with the Ionia County Literacy Council. The training was held over four days from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the Ionia Michigan Works office. The training began Tuesday, September 8 and ended Thursday, September 15. Th Th

Young Cam Jansen and the Zoo Note Mystery

As it does every year during March is Reading Month, the Ionia County Literacy Council provided a free book to each first grader in Ionia County in 2011. This year’s book was Young Cam Jansen and the Zoo Note Mystery, a story about Cam and Eric’s class going on a field trip to the zoo. But Eric can't find his permission slip, and without it, he can't go on the field trip. Where did it go? Did he drop it somewhere? Was it stolen? Will Cam Jansen's amazing memory help to find Eric's permission slip in time? Or will he have to sit in the principal's office all day while the other children go to the zoo?

A copy of this book, which was purchased at a greatly reduced price through a literacy partnership with Scholastic, was delivered to 901 first graders at Ellis Elementary (Belding); Boyce, Rather, Jefferson, and Emerson elementaries (Ionia); Twin Rivers Elementary (Muir); Clarksville Elementary; Sunfield Elementary; West Elementary (Lake Odessa); Woodland Elementary; Palo School; Oakwood Elementary (Portland); Saranac Elementary; Grattan Academy (Belding); Threshold Academy (Orleans); Haynor, Coon, and North LeValley schools (Ionia); Faith Community Christian School (Belding); Seventh Day Adventist School (Ionia); Sts. Peter and Paul School (Ionia); and St. Patrick’s School (Portland).

Readers at classroom this year, who also delivered the books, were Olga Albert, Norrie Slater, Amanda Osborne, Linda Stewart, Sister Kathleen Kaiser, Cari O’Connor, Vicky Burrows, Bruce Chadwick, Vicki Bradley, Amy Buckingham, Dan Mitchell, Judy Huhyn, Laura Hager, Josh Taylor, Megan Ledin, Sue Kessler, Joan Miller Moran, Valerie Gaus, and Sandra Meitler.

The literacy council inserts a flyer into each book encouraging parents to read to their children. Literature has consistently stressed that young children who were read to on a regular basis have a higher academic achievement than those children who were not read to on a regular basis. Unfortunately, not all parents can read.

You may have friends and neighbors who cannot read or cannot read well, and you wouldn’t even know it. These friends and neighbors have managed to find a way to keep this information from you due to the stigma associated with not being able to read. If you know of someone in this situation, please encourage him or her to contact the Ionia County Literacy Council.

Meet two of our newest board members

Marilyn Stock is one of our newest board members, joining in November 2010. She has worked for Portland Community and Adult Education for 28 years and has been its director for the last four. Portland Community and Adult Education offers opportunities for youth and adults to earn their high school diploma, offers enrichment courses to the community, hosts a summer school, and is a Lansing Community College Extension Center.

Marilyn is married, has three daughters, and “loves being a grandmother for the first time.” She enjoys working in the yard, even though, “it’s a game of cat and mouse, as I plant only to see if the dog will dig it up.”

Marilyn earned a Bachelors Degree in Business from Davenport University. She states that, “It’s been a great pleasure to work with our local adult students over the years, and I look forward to working with the Literacy Council and folks from Ionia County.”

Vicky Lewis Wagner is another recent addition to our board, joining in November 2010. Vicky has a Master’s Degree in Education with an endorsement as a Reading Specialist and is close to finishing a second Master’s Degree in the Art of Teaching with endorsements as an Early Childhood Specialist and a Learning Disabilities Specialist. She also has credits towards a Master’s in an Educational Psychology Degree.

Vicky has taught Early Childhood Education classes at Montcalm Community College for 11 years and also works in the Great Start Readiness Preschool Program  at Saranac Elementary School. Previously, Vicky was the Ionia County Representative for Kent Regional 4Cs.

Vicky is married to John Wagner and says, “although I only gave birth to two children, I raised seven. As they have grown up and married, I have now accumulated a whopping 14 children (no steps or in-laws here). We also have 13 grandchildren.”

“I would love the whole world to have the opportunity to experience the joy of reading,” she states. “That is my motivation for becoming involved with the Ionia County Literacy Council.” Her most earnest desire is to “make a positive difference in the world.”

The Ionia County Literacy Council hosts a tutor recognition dinner in May 2010

Linda Stewart becomes treasurer of the Ionia County Literacy Council Board of Directors

 

After joining the board of directors on February 4, 2010, Linda Stewart was elected as its treasurer in March, following the earlier resignation of Petra Laux.

 

Stewart brings a wealth of financial expertise with her to the council, having worked at FirstBank for twenty-one years. Currently she is assistant manager at the Ionia main office.

 

Stewart was born in Wyandotte and raised in Lansing, but has lived in Ionia for twenty-three years, stating, “I love the small town atmosphere [of Ionia] and its historical homes and buildings.”

 

Stewart is an avid reader and become aware of the literacy council through various resources throughout the community. Stewart joined the Ionia County Literacy Council because she feels that “It is important to reach out to individuals in our community who want and ask for help. Our possibilities are endless when we work hard enough to achieve what we want to accomplish.”

 

Stewart has been married for twenty-two years. She and her husband have six children between them (“his, mine and ours”). They also have two grandchildren, ages 6 and 18 months.

 

Stewart’s interests include gardening, reading, camping, and “my love of animals and spending time with my family.”

 

The Ionia County Literacy Council provides individual and small group tutoring in reading, math, and English as a second language (ESL) to those ages 16 and over. The Ionia County Literacy Council is always looking for motivated tutors. For more information on attending classes, receiving tutoring, or becoming a tutor, call the Ionia County Literacy Council at 616-527-1360, ext. 116. Learn how you can make a difference in someone’s life. 

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