Volunteer efforts made literacy happen
Peter Sawyer (left) is a longtime tutor and volunteer in New Brunswick. Shown here in 2005 at a provincial conference and LLC meeting in Moncton, Peter was on hand in 1981 when LLC was created, also in Moncton. Lynne Lalonde, right, of the National Literacy Secretariat was one of many dedicated federal officials who supported LLC’s vision.
Although the philosophy of “Each One Teach One” was not supposed to defy math principles, it has.
For every Laubach student, there may have been only one tutor, at least in the beginning. But for every tutor, there were probably many students. The volunteer effort required to support this partnership was huge. Thousands of LLC volunteers made the organization a truly grassroots phenomenon with national impact.
Besides their role as tutors, these volunteers supported local literacy in many other ways. Those who became trainers had a major impact. Across Canada, LLC’s trainers volunteered countless hours over the years, especially as members of the national board’s Training and Certification committee.
At the provincial level, LLC volunteers have organized provincial conferences and taken seats on the national board. All of LLC’s 13 presidents assumed that role as volunteers. Bravo!
Through their dedicated work on behalf of LLC, these Directors have mirrored the spirit of volunteerism and commitment to literacy of their many predecessors. Thank you!
New Readers Bookstore: Canadian, eh?
Almost as soon as Canadians adopted Laubach methods to teach adult literacy, the need for Canadian versions of teaching materials emerged.
In April 1981, Laubach Literacy International, based in Syracuse, New York guaranteed a $10,000 line of credit to LLC to open a “book distributorship.” Until 2001 when the New Readers Bookstore became its new name, the arm of Laubach that sold books was called “the distributorship.” It opened its doors in Saint John, New Brunswick in November 1981.
The distributorship was a crucial part of Laubach’s dream to create a national organization. Not only did it allow American books from the U.S.-based New Readers Press to enter Canada at bulk rates negotiated with Canada Customs, it also produced Canadian books for adults learning to read.
The “golden girl” behind the 28 titles published by LLC was Gladys Neale. A retired executive with Macmillan Canada’s educational publishing division, Ms. Neale volunteered long hours on LLC’s board and with the distributorship.
When she died in 1999, LLC held a special memorial service at Carleton University in Ottawa.