From the category archives:

Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council

GPLC’s Literacy AmeriCorps Benefits Many Organizations

February 15, 2010

in Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council

A Win-Win for Nonprofits 

A wide range of nonprofit organizations in the Pittsburgh area are benefiting from one of the programs of Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council (GPLC).  The program is called Literacy*AmeriCorps.  The organizations receive the help of a full-time AmeriCorps member for a year in exchange for a modest matching fund contribution.  The members provide click to continue

Tagged as: Adult education, AmeriCorps, Education/Training, Pittsburgh Nonprofit Organization

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Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council Changes Lives

December 7, 2009

in Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council

Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council and two of its former students recently received national recognition for their efforts.  Earlier this fall, CBS Sunday Morning featured GPLC alumni Walter Long and LaVonne McKinstry in a segment about the problem of illiteracy in our country.  The segment highlighted a shocking statistic: one in seven adults in the U.S. are “functionally illiterate,” meaning that they lack the reading or English language skills needed to function effectively in everyday life. 

Walter and LaVonne hid their problem from their friends, co-workers and even their families, a common occurrence among adults with low literacy skills.   Both felt shame and embarrassment and experienced limitations in their lives.  Each came to Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council with unique goals: Walter wanted to be able to read to his then 4-year-old daughter and LaVonne wanted to become more active in her church and get a better job. 

With Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council’s help they accomplished these goals and much more.  You can meet Walter and LaVonne personally and view the CBS Sunday Morning segment at www.gplc.org/multimedia.cfm

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Tagged as: Education/Training, Literacy, Pittsburgh Non Profit, Reading

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CBS, Sunday Morning, Features GPLC on Sept. 27th

September 21, 2009

in Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council

Don’t miss Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council’s first-ever appearance on a national news program.  Be sure to watch or set your DVR for 9 a.m. on Sunday, September 27 when several GPLC students will be featured in a story about literacy on the CBS news program Sunday Morning.  A network production crew, featuring 60 Minutes correspondent Byron Pitts, came in early September to shoot footage at the Downtown Center and conduct interviews with GPLC alumni Walter Long and LaVonne McKinstry at work and at home.   They also talked to students at The Neighborhood Academy.

The national attention is the result of Pitts’ own struggles with reading and his high regard for this organization.  Pitts, who did not learn to read until he was 12 years old, was introduced to GPLC several years ago when he spoke at their 2006 Leaders for Literacy Luncheon.  Since then, he’s addressed more than a dozen literacy organizations around the country and maintains that GPLC rises above the crowd.   His personal journey is documented in a new memoir titled Stepping Out On Nothing.

Again, the CBS Sunday Morning broadcast featuring GPLC is September 27th at 9 a.m.

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PS: The 2009 Leaders for Literacy Luncheon featuring author David Baldacci is just around the corner, October 14th.  Get you tickets today at http://www.gplc.org/luncheon.cfm

or contact Maria Polinsky at mpolinsky@gplc.org

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Tagged as: 60 Minutes, CBS News, David Baldacci, Literacy

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Leaders for Literacy Luncheon Will Feature David Baldacci

Thumbnail image for Leaders for Literacy Luncheon Will Feature David Baldacci July 13, 2009 Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council

Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council is proud to have David Morehouse, President of our Stanley Cup Champions, the Pittsburgh Penguins, as Honorary Chairperson for the 22nd annual Leaders for Literacy Luncheon on October 14th at the Omni William Penn Hotel.  Guest speaker is bestselling author David Baldacci, who has published seventeen novels, including his newest release, [...]

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Pittsburgh Chick-Lit Book Club supports GPLC

May 25, 2009 Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council

Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council is proud to be the beneficiary of the Pittsburgh Chick-Lit Book Club Literary Tea taking place on June 13, 2009 from noon to 4:00 PM at the Zion Lutheran Church in Brentwood PA.
 
This is the first annual event of The Literary Tea which celebrates reading and the classics with each [...]

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Creating and Updating Your Will, Free Workshop

May 15, 2009 Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council

Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council, in partnership with eight other area nonprofits, is pleased to offer FREE workshops during May and June on creating and updating your will. Choose the workshop that is most convenient to you. Topics addressed include:

How to avoid Probate
Why having a Power of Attorney is so important
Ways to avoid death taxes – [...]

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Help Your Child, Help Yourself

February 26, 2009 Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council

Heather came to Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council (GPLC) because she wanted to be able to help her son Tyler prepare for school.  She herself struggled in school, but it wasn’t until 12th grade that she was diagnosed with a learning disability. “It was hard going through life with that disability,” she says. “I knew I [...]

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Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council, Open Up a Life

October 23, 2008 Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council

If you are a staff member of a nonprofit organization, do you have any clients who never finished high school?  Do you know any who finished school but still struggle with basic skills, like reading and writing?  Do you see any connection between their poverty and their lack of education?  
Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council (GPLC) believes [...]

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