The President and Chief Professional Officer of United Way of Eastern Fairfield County Merle Berke-Schlessel, Esq. announced today that the agency is distributing more than $23,000 in grants to four regional agencies to help more residents learn to read. Berke-Schlessel said the distribution exemplifies United Way's Community Impact agenda that began with the Community COMPASS, and led to the establishment of a regional Literacy Council.

"When you think about what matters to youth and adults who are working to become better educated and more self-sufficient, literacy is about the most elementary building block in the process," she said. "So the United Way Vision Council focusing on increasing self-sufficiency, issued a request for proposals on how local agencies would expand literacy programming, and selected four organizations that presented solid plans. We're pleased to have selected organizations that consistently display successful outcomes when it comes to changing lives for the better."

Berke-Schlessel said the four agencies, the Mercy Learning Center, the House of God Outreach & Deliverance Ministries, Inc., the local Literacy Volunteers chapter and the International Institute of Connecticut will share the funds. She said improving literacy was a fundamental path to enhancing employability among local residents who could not obtain sustained or meaningful work.
"As we reviewed our Community COMPASS findings, we learned through our colleagues at The Workplace, a non-profit Bridgeport-based organization that provides job training, that 92 percent of former welfare recipients could not pass the test that would qualify them for job training programs."

The recipient organizations who will utilize this United Way Literacy Initiative funding are:

1. Mercy Learning Center, $2,900.00: One-on-One tutoring for 50 students who require intensive instruction in order to participate in their larger classroom programs. A Certified ESL teacher will train ESL tutors to work more effectively with non-English speaking students. Funds will also be provided for materials for the 50 new students.

2. House of God Outreach & Deliverance Ministries, Inc., $2,000.00: Funds will be used to expand the weeks of GED classes beyond the times funded by the Bridgeport Board of Education Adult Education Department. Classes would be ended early due to the lack of funds. House of God provides GED services and childcare at no cost.

3. Literacy Volunteers, $12,000: Literacy Volunteers will expand their recruitment and training efforts. The program plans to recruit and train 50 volunteers above current efforts. The newly trained volunteers will work in small groups tutoring 150 adult learners. Funds are budgeted for advertising, tutor training, training materials, and an increase in trainer time.

4. International Institute of Connecticut, $6,310.00: The International Center will provide an ESL Job Specific course, a computer keyboard training course and a related babysitters' class in collaboration with the American Red Cross. The parents taking the course will have 'free' babysitting for their young children, while their older children receive training in babysitting skills. This would encourage both working and unemployed adults to participate in literacy skill development.

For further information, please contact: Andrea Kovacs, Sr. VP, Marketing and Community Relations at United Way, 334-5106, ext. 309 or via email at akovacs@thewaytocare.org.

United Way focuses on what matters, and builds stronger communities by supporting nearly 80 health and human service programs that helped more than 180,000 people last year. United Way funded programs impact a range of critical services in its six town service area including Bridgeport, Easton, Fairfield, Monroe, Stratford, and Trumbull. A complete list of local United Way partners and initiatives, and a link to United Way's Virtual Volunteer Center can be found on the website, www.thewaytocare.org.