WHEREAS, The Greater Milwaukee Literacy Coalition

initiated a determined effort to increase adult literacy in the City of Milwaukee on February 14, 2006 with a 2006 Milwaukee Literacy Initiative kick off event at the Washington Park Library at which Mayor Tom Barrett proclaimed 2006 the Year of Adult Literacy in Milwaukee; and

WHEREAS, Other speakers at the program included Greater Milwaukee Literacy Coalition President Dawn Lauber, City Librarian Kate Huston and former Alverno College President Sister Joel Read, and adult literacy students and volunteers also participated in the program; and

WHEREAS, Illiteracy is linked to high levels of unemployment, poverty, crime, incarceration and poor health, and the Milwaukee Literacy Initiative is intended to unify the community toward improving Milwaukee’s alarming adult illiteracy rate, and the event also included demonstrations of tutoring and family literacy reading sessions; and

WHEREAS, Twenty-seven percent of Milwaukee adults are functionally illiterate according to the coalition, meaning they are unable to compute and solve problems at a level of proficiency necessary to function on the job and in society and achieve one’s goals, and the initiative is aimed at lowering the illiteracy rate in the city to 20% by 2010; and

WHEREAS, The Greater Milwaukee Literacy Coalition draws a diverse group of literacy service providers and practitioners together to create public awareness of the educational challenges facing adults in our community, to promote literacy and create professional development opportunities for teachers and tutors; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the Common Council of the City of Milwaukee herewith congratulates the Greater Milwaukee Literacy Coalition on its efforts to promote adult and family literacy in southeastern Wisconsin, extends its appreciation on behalf of the community for the commitment of helping adults develop their knowledge and potential and wishes the coalition continued success; and, be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, That a suitable engrossed copy of this resolution be presented to the Greater Milwaukee Literacy Coalition.

Introduced by Common Council President Willie L. Hines, Jr. and approved by all members of the Milwaukee Common Council on February 28, 2006.

Nominations Sought for
Statewide Celebration of Literacy

The statewide Celebration of Literacy event will be May 15 at Monona Terrace from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Robert Wedgeworth, president of ProLiteracy Worldwide, will be the keynote speaker on “ProLiteracy and the NAAL: The State of Literacy in America.”

Again, First Lady Jessica Doyle has been invited to present awards. Literacy practitioners and others can nominate people for honors in seven different categories: Learner of the Year, English Language Learner of the Year, Family Literacy Program, Workplace Literacy Program, Achievement in Correctional Setting, Tutor of the Year and Literacy Advocate. Request for nominations is available on-line at www.wisconsinliteracy.org.

Helpmilwaukeeread.org

As part of the Milwaukee Literacy Initiative, GMLC has developed a family of related public-relations tools. The Web site, www.helpmilwaukeeread.org takes users to the GMLC Web site, where they can find information about literacy and literacy providers throughout the area. Users also can volunteer to become involved in efforts to forward literacy.

Heavy-duty banners bearing a Milwaukee landscape with the www.helpmilwaukeeead.org Web address can be ordered from Sign-a-rama, 608 N. Water St. The telephone number is 414-273-7446, and the e-mail address is Sarmilwaukee@yahoo.com. The Banners come in three sizes: 3 feet by 10 feet for $240, 3 feet by 6 feet for $144, and 2 feet by 5 feet for $80.

One large banner was unfurled at the kick-off ceremonies. It will hang at the Milwaukee Achiever Literacy Services site at 1512 W. Pierce St.

GMLC also printed up bookmarks with the same message, to be distributed at libraries, bookstores and agencies throughout the Milwaukee area. For extra copies of the bookmarks, contact Peg Palmer, ppalmer@milwaukeeachiever.org.