Recognition Spotlight
Donor Spotlight: Carolyn Roskamp
Carolyn's history with the Literacy Council of Manatee County includes several years as a tutor, a board member and 2 terms as board president. In addition to their own generous personal gifts, Carolyn and her husband Steve, have made it possible for the Literacy Council to receive a matching grant from the family's foundation, helping to double atttendance and triple the annual theatre fundraiser income.
Carolyn says, "Teaching someone to read and write and speak English is a gift that keeps giving for the rest of that person's life. Being a part of the Literacy Council's spirit of giving and making friends along the way has meaningfully impacted my life. And I feel blessed to have been able to support the Literacy Council membership in providing this invaluable service to Manatee County."
Volunteer Spotlight: Esther Kenney
Esther Kenney began her teaching career in a one room school in Vermont. She holds a master?s degree in reading and worked with classroom teachers as a reading consultant. After 35 years in education, she retired, settled in Bradenton, and continued her love-affair with literacy by becoming a tutor for the Literacy Council. She currently serves on the Board, tests new learners and matches them up with tutors, taking into account the time and availability of tutors and learners as well as their proximity to each other and where the tutoring will be done. Esther selects appropriate training materials and reviews them with each tutor. As a member of the Education Committee and an expert on Laubach publications, she also helps with the selection of new materials, sometimes volunteering 30 hours a month. Esther was recognized in May 2005 as the Literacy Volunteer of the Year by the Florida Literacy Coalition.
Tutors have to be flexible, she says, and possess personal warmth and the ability not to be too critical. We don't know what pressures and obstacles a student faces or the family or job problems which may interfere with the completion of a homework assignment.
