Advocacy Update

Thanks to your efforts to reach out to our elected officials, the state budget signed by Governor Wolf last Monday fully restored the Adult and Family Literacy line item. The restoration is a testament to your hard work and to the importance of education for our economic recovery. 

Government funding accounts for 52% of our overall budget. With increased community need, every penny is vital to providing quality education for our students. Read more

Giving Tuesday

THANK YOU to all who supported Literacy Pittsburgh on Giving Tuesday!  On December 1, 76 generous donors raised $10,085 for Literacy Pittsburgh programs through Give Big Pittsburgh. In addition, these gifts were doubled thanks to a match from a Pittsburgh family foundation – that’s $20,170 that will get our students one step closer to their goals.  You make a difference in our students‘ lives every day and change the future for their families. We’re are grateful to you for sharing our belief that all people deserve an opportunity to learn in a place where their strengths are celebrated.

If you have not had the chance to make a gift in 2020, please consider making one today to create better lives through learning. Thank you for your kindness and generosity. Have a wonderful holiday season! 

Tutor Spotlight: Dore

The pandemic has opened up new opportunities for volunteer involvement. Geographic boundaries become less important when digital learning becomes the standard. This summer, we received a volunteer inquiry from a resident of New York City, who is now enjoying getting to know her student and helping her prepare for the U.S. citizenship test.

Compass AmeriCorps Welcomes New Cohort

In the fall, Compass AmeriCorps welcomed a brand new cohort of service members. This year, the eleventh in the program’s history, looks quite a bit different due to the pandemic. We kicked off the year with our first-ever virtual orientation, and AmeriCorps-branded face masks now come as standard issue for incoming members. Despite the limitations of virtual meetings, members started building bonds as they learned the ins and outs of their coming service year. (At the very least, a week of team-building activities over Zoom was a great exercise in active listening and developing whiteboard skills!) Read more

Strategic Plan Update: Ready

In the November issue, we shared plans for our 2020–2023 strategic plan goal of Relevant. Today, we are sharing our efforts to be Ready to help our students meet the demands of today’s employers.

Goal: Literacy Pittsburgh will be agile, stable, and continuously improving.

Strategies

• Grow and engage our people: staff, board, and volunteers.
• Invest in information technology and data analytics and act on insights gained.
• Build and improve management systems and processes. Read more

Target Circle

If you are planning on doing some holiday shopping at Target, here's an easy way to support Literacy Pittsburgh. Using the Target Circle App will earn you votes that can translate into money for charity. Literacy Pittsburgh is one of of the charities you can vote for through December. If you need a quick tutorial, check out our how-to video.

Better Lives Through Citizenship

Literacy Pittsburgh is proud to announce that we have been awarded a two-year renewal of our Citizenship Grant from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service. Over the course of the last grant cycle, we had 64 students successfully pass their interview and become naturalized U.S. citizens. We currently have students waiting for a tutor who, due to work or family constraints, are unable to attend our regularly scheduled classes.

If you are interested in tutoring a student in citizenship, please contact Program Manager Caitlin Griffiths at cgriffiths@literacypittsburgh.org. Training and materials are free. There are few achievements more satisfying than accompanying a student on the path to becoming a U.S. citizen. Consider becoming a citizenship tutor today!

Holidays Around the World

December is the month when many Americans celebrate Christmas with traditions like snowmen, Santa Claus, and Christmas lights.

However, winter holiday traditions look different around the world. We asked staff members who have had the opportunity to spend the holidays abroad to share their experiences. They told us about some of the many ways people celebrate. Come along for a trip around the world! Read more

Amazon Holiday Shopping

If you frequently shop at Amazon, then there are ways that your shopping can help give back to others! To help Literacy Pittsburgh, you can choose to make your purchases through Amazon Smile, where we will receive 0.5% of each purchase. You can also check out our two wishlists, one for Family Literacy Students, and the other for Literacy Pittsburgh's daily efforts. It is quick and easy and all items will be shipped directly to Literacy Pittsburgh!

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