Literacy News in Brief

Marg’s pot of gold
After her recent misfortunes, Marg Rose’s spirits received a boost when friends and colleagues surprised her at the LPM office on Friday to express their concern and affection. Highlights of the informal and congenial gathering were Roberta’s remarks, cards from afar, and a recitation by the Raging Grammarians of an account of Marg’s woes composed with dactylic panache by Leuba Franko. After being presented with the pot of gold, Marg chokingly expressed her renewed faith in human nature after a debilitating series of thefts in February.

Marg Rose

The Raging Grammarians Quartette

Manitoba Book Week
The Assciation of Manitoba Book Publishers presented Manitoba Book Week 2000. during April 16-29. Thanks to these merchants for participating: Book Haven (Austin), Candlewood Books (Brandon), Chapters (all Winnipeg locations), Coles/Smithbooks (all Winnipeg and Brandon locations), Friesens Stationary & Books (Altona), Judith’s Books (St. Malo), Just Books (Portage la Prairie), McNally Robinson (Grant Park and Portage Place locations in Winnipeg), Page One Books (Boissevain), Paperwork (Morden and Winkler), Tergensen’s General Store (Gimli), University of Manitoba Bookstore (Winnipeg). Affiliated publishers will donate 5% of the sales from the Manitoba Book Week Display to Literacy Partners of Manitoba. For more information call the AMBP at (204) 947-3335.

Orioles Adult Learning Centre Fundraiser
On March 15th, Orioles Adult Learning Centre held their third annual fundraiser at the Palomino Club. In all, $1762 was raised through a silent auction and a 50/50 draw. The silent auction consisted of 16 different prizes which were compilations of various donations from students and local businesses. MLA Mary Ann Mihychuk did the draw, and when her husband’s name was drawn he gallantly donated his prize to the Orioles. Suzie Shepherd, coordinator, wishes to thank the Palomino Club, the Orioles Literacy Board, students, and teachers who volunteered their time to put the fundraiser together.

Partners for Careers: Aboriginal Employment Information Centre
Partners for Careers is a job placement service for Aboriginal graduates connecting First Nations, Metis and Inuit job seekers with employers throughout the Province through partnerships with their delivery agents: Staffing Solutions, in Winnipeg, and the Manitoba Association of Friendship Centres, in rural and northern Manitoba. A new office at 309 Balmoral serves as the Partners for Careers, Aboriginal Employment Information Centre. Job seekers will find information on job placement services throughout Manitoba, training opportunities, educational institutes, financial services, government programs, scholarships and ‘employers of choice’. This information will help Aboriginal Employment Practitoners serve their clients in their communities and will be helpful to Employers as well. Inquire about the Open House Ceremonies to be held later in May. For further information, contact Roberta Hewson, Executive Director, Partners for Careers, 309 Balmoral Street, Colony Square, Winnipeg, Mb R3C4A8. Telephone 945-0447, fax 948-2714, http://www.partnersforcareers.mb.ca/

Get into the Swing
Give and receive at the same time! LPM members are asked to help raise funds for the PGI Learner Bursary and the LPM lending library through our two largest fundraising events: the Chip in for Literacy tournament on May 13, and Peter Gzowski Invitational Golf Tournament for Literacy on May 31. The PGI is a unique experience, combining great food, poetry with Peter Paul Van Camp, humour and wisdom by MC Jim Ingebrigtsen, music with the Spittunes, the Westgate String Ensemble and Manitoba’s emerging recording artist Richard Moody. We need prizes, golfers and postering help to reduce our costs. Call Jasmin for registration forms, letters and posters asap at 947-5757.

Volunteers for Literacy
Does your organization need more helping hands, without having to dip into its pockets to incur more staffing costs? Susanne Magyar Chapiel has researched and compiled job descriptions of several roles that volunteers can play in a non-tutoring capacity with literacy groups. “Many volunteers who call the LEARN line want to help the literacy movement. Most of them think they have to have teaching skills to help adults learn to read. We wanted to show them alternative ways they can be of valuable service to LPM and other community-based programs. Our funding was through the NLS Youth Literacy Corps project, so we focused on youth-oriented roles first,” Susanne explained.

Help yourself to these sample job descriptions from the website What’s New feature at http://www.mb.literacy.ca. A series of worksheets for recruitment, literacy orientation, talent inventory and screening will be posted in time for fall outreach efforts.