Provincial Literacy News …
Four B.C. Winners in Post Awards

The annual Canada Post Literacy Awards were announced on August 28. These awards recognize the achievements of learners, educators and organizations in their efforts to overcome barriers to literacy.

Here are the B.C. winners in the three categories:

Individual Literacy Achievement Award - celebrates the accomplishments of learners who have successfully overcome social or economic barriers by improving their literacy skills.

Connie De Melo of Castlegar

Connie has been a learner with the Project Literacy West Kootenay in Castlegar for nine years, and has attended ABE programs at Selkirk College. When her husband became blind, 60 year old Connie couldn't even pay bills on her own because she couldn't read. Now, after a decade of learning, Connie writes poetry and helps her granddaughter with homework.

Connie is also the winner of the 2000 Cooperators Learner for B.C. Achievement Award. Watch for a story on Connie and her achievements in our next newsletter. Congratulations, Connie!

Educator Award - honours educators, tutors or program initiators for their dedication and commitment to literacy. Only five Educators are honoured in Canada. This is the first year that two winners have been announced in B.C. They are Sally Gellard and Karen Taylor.

Sally Gellard of Vancouver

Sally, an Adult Basic Education instructor at Vancouver Community College, King Edward Campus, was honoured for her involvement with the B.E.S.T. program - Basic Education for Skills and Training. B.E.S.T. is a joint union / management workplace literacy program which has been running for two and a half years at the Children and Women's Health Centre in Vancouver. B.E.S.T. "is designed to help health care workers improve their literacy, numeracy and communication skills in order to access further training and apply for work within different areas of the hospital." Sally works half time with B.E.S.T. and half time in the V.C.C. ABE Department.

Congratulations, Sally!

Karen Taylor, Victoria Karen, a profoundly deaf teacher, has developed several programs and workshops designed to help deaf children and adults improve their literacy skills.

Karen is an instructor in READ 2000 (Resources in Education for the Adult Deaf), a Sooke School District Community Education program. Her award winning video series and manual, "Deafness and Learning with Karen Taylor" are used in schools throughout the province, as well as the United States and South Africa.

Congratulations, Karen!

Community Leadership Award- recognizes a literacy or labour organization, or special community initiative which has demonstrated long term achievement and excellence in literacy programming.

Prince George Public Library

The library was honoured for a variety of literacy programs and initiatives offered over the past 3 years, including:

• "Catch Em in the Cradle," a package for new parents that promotes family literacy
• "Reading Without Rules," a program targeted at "people not comfortable with using the library." The library takes adult and children's literacy collections to non-traditional sites such as transition houses, drop-ins and hospices
• "Reading is Cool" - a set of three posters widely distributed through B.C. libraries spotlighting members of a Prince George hockey club promoting reading and their favourite books

Chief Librarian Edel Toner-Regala notes the library was nominated for the award by the Prince George Mayor and City Council.