Radian Edition January 28, 2021 (Jan 29, 2021)

Paramus Rotary Club Meeting of Thursday, January, 28, 2021

Our guest speaker for the January 28, 2021, meeting was Chris Stout, fellow Rotarian and Executive Director of Project Literacy of Greater Bergen County. His presentation was entitled,

Adult Literacy Can Change Everything!

What is literacy?

UNESCO defines literacy as the ability to identify, understand, interpret, create, communicate and compute, using printed and written materials associated with varying contexts. Literacy involves a continuum of learning in enabling individuals to achieve their goals, to develop their knowledge and potential, and to participate fully in their community and wider society.

Project Literacy of Greater Bergen County (PLGBC), a non-profit organization dedicated to providing, supporting and promoting the expansion of adult literacy in Bergen County, NJ, for 30+ years, offers free, one-on-one tutoring to adults who cannot read, write or speak English. In its 30+ years, PLGBC has tutored 8,500 students! Per Mr. Stout, every important social issue is impacted by low literacy, from health to gender equality to poverty When individuals learn how to read, write, do basic math, and use computers, they have the power to lift themselves out of poverty, lower health care costs, find and keep sustainable employment, and ultimately change their lives.

PLGBC students come from the greater Bergen County area. All students are adults. They range in age from 18 to 80, and all want to improve their reading skills, their writing skills, and/or their speaking skills. Many of its students want to earn a high school equivalency diploma and continue to college. Most of its students want to get a job or a better job. All students want to improve their lives.

Prior to the current pandemic, PLBGC held classes in the Bergen Community College Ciarco Learning Center in Hackensack, NJ. Since the pandemic, all classes are held via Zoom or FaceTime. Hours are flexible to meet the student’s and tutor’s availability. Classes are held once a week for 90 minutes for approximately 15 months. As might be expected, enrollment is down by nearly 50%. Currently, PLGBC has 75 students and 85 tutors.

Mr. Stout thanked the Rotary Club of Paramus for its support of PLGBC via purchasing an advertisement in PLGBC's Annual Gala Fundraiser last month. Held virtually, the Gala was hosted by Pat Battle. Three students were featured during the event. Special guests included New York Giants Hall of Fame Linebacker, Harry Carson; and the CEO of Hackensack Meridian Health, Robert C. Garrett. Highlights from this wonderful event can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajpLYxbeR4M&feature=youtu.be.

As a fellow Rotarian, Mr. Stout reiterated that Literacy is one of the six areas of focus for Rotary International (RI). According to RI, more than 775 million people over the age of 15 are illiterate. That is17% of the world’s adult population. Mr. Stout brought that number closer to home by stating that:

93 million people in the USA have poor reading skills
1 out of 10 drivers cannot read the rood signs
16% of adults in Bergen County have limited reading skills, e.g., third grade...

...that's 145,000 residents of Bergen County!

If you are interested in becoming a tutor or volunteer at PLGBC, please call or e-mail to set up an interview. Email: read@project-literacy.org Call: 201-301-9664.

To make a donation, please visit: https://secure.squarespace.com/checkout/donate?donatePageId=5e1dd5bedeb1924c4bee1b37

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Weekly Announcements!

~ Our next meeting will be a round table discussion of District 7490's 2020-2021 Champions of Peace Project, to be held on February 4, 2021, at Season's. ~

~ It is with great sorrow that President Peter Kantzilieris announced the passing of fellow Rotarian, Terry Romano. Services were held on Saturday, January 30, 2021, at George Washington Cemetery. If you would like to make a donation in Terry's name, please make out your check to The Paramus Rotary Foundation, and mail it to Paramus Rotary Club, Inc., P.O. Box 1003, Paramus, NJ 07652. Please write "Gift of Life - Romano" in the Memo line.

~ During these unprecedented times, President Peter Kantzilieris asked that we check in on our fellow Rotarians with whom we have not been in contact for a while to inquire as to their health and well-being. ~

~ Madam Past President Diane Vasile-Falcone announced that over 100 tickets have been sold for the Club's Annual Cash Raffle; we are 1/4 on our way to selling 400 tickets! After February 28th, any unsold tickets will be made available via the "chance to win" drawing held at our weekly meetings. The Elk's Club at which the Raffle has been held in the past is being sold and, therefore, is not available for this event. Due to the current pandemic, reservations at other locations are not open at this time. If you have any suggestions as to another location in Paramus at which to host this event, please contact Diane Vasile-Falcone. ~

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