The Liberian Literacy Foundation and Pro-Literacy Detroit Announce a Partnership to Combat Illiteracy
Book Signing for Literacy at Detroit Public Library to Bring Greater Awareness to the Written and Spoken Word
Detroit, MI – January 28, 2008 – The Liberian Literacy Foundation www.liberianbooks.org and Pro-Literacy Detroit www.proliteracydetroit.org today announced that on January 31, a partnership which Pro-Literacy Detroit will facilitate the training of volunteers as literacy trainers for the Liberian Books Project. These volunteers will work in their local communities gaining valuable experience as they prepare to travel to Liberia where they will support teachers in the classrooms of Liberian schools.
To kick off the alliance, both organizations will be sponsoring a meet-and-greet book signing at the Detroit Public Library on Thursday, January 31 from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m.
“Literacy is something that every human being in the world is capable of, but due to lack of either role models or social structure, some people fall between the cracks and don’t have a fair opportunity to learn,” said Margaret Williamson, Executive Director, Pro-Literacy Detroit. “Our purpose in teaming up Detroit with Liberia is to strengthen the cause for literacy in both regions, and to generate global awareness that reading is the key to advancing in life.”
The Liberian Literacy Foundation is a nonprofit organization established to respond directly to the need for educational resources in Liberia. The Detroit-based Liberian Literacy Foundation partners with organizations throughout the world in the singular mission of supporting literacy in Liberia.
To address the challenges confronting learning institutions by a lack of educational resources, the Liberian Literacy Foundation has developed the Liberian Books Project—a sustainable development project for the country of Liberia whose overall population is 3.6 million.
The Liberian Books Project adopts the goals of the United Nations Millennium Development Challenge of 2015, and seeks to support the accomplishment of these goals in Liberia by creating 1,200 scholarships, supporting 1,200 literacy centers and providing renewable electricity to schools in Liberia by 2015.
The current mission of the project encourages students at colleges and universities to collect used textbooks each year which are put into a collective fund and then are placed for sale online. Proceeds from the sales establish a literacy fund which covers the cost of sustaining the goals of the Liberian Books Project
Pro-Literacy Detroit is a nonprofit organization that has served Michigan residents for more than twenty years and makes basic literacy services more accessible by utilizing print, electronic media and the Internet. Trained tutors are available to tutor learners at community centers, churches, libraries, schools and in the workplace
Many local companies are adopting the software that Pro-Literacy Detroit utilizes to remediate their workers to be more successful and advance their careers. Throughout the course of their existence, the organization has trained over 6,000 volunteer tutors, and assisted over 11,000 learners. In the metro Detroit area, more than 400 volunteers provide 56,000 hours of service each year.
“Being able to draw on Pro-Literacy Detroit’s many years of experience at preparing individuals as literacy tutors is truly a big win for the Liberian Books Project,” said E. Victor Helb, Jr., Executive Director, Liberian Literacy Foundation. “It is also a major plus for the local communities where these volunteers will spend many months training and tutoring others as they prepare to travel to Liberia. We are very thankful to Margaret Williamson and her team at Pro-Literacy Detroit, and to the Wayne State University community for their support to Liberia through the Liberian Books Project.”
The event also marks the opening of the Liberian Literacy Foundation's Author's Club. Local, national, and international authors will sign copies of their books and donate them to the Liberian Books Project.
“While these authors will be on site, the Liberian Literacy Foundation invites authors from around the world to join in this global humanitarian awareness project by donating signed copies of their books to the Liberian Books Project,” added Helb. “Everyone can do something to help promote literacy – and the end results will be rewarding for all.”
Authors expected to attend the event include:
- Mr. Bankole Thompson - Senior Editor of the Michigan Chronicle, author of Ignoring the Underprivileged, and A Matter of Black Transformation. http://www.bankolethompson.com
- Mr. C. Paschal Eze - A widely traveled former tourism columnist, proofreader, daily newspaper and monthly business magazine editor-in-chief, is a certified e-commerce consultant and re-branding strategist who runs his own business in Iowa. Author of Don’t Africa Me. http://www.paschalezemedia.com/
Additional people and organizations have been instrumental in making the first annual Signing for Literacy event happen and these include: Honorary Consul General, Mike Bedoun, Republic of Liberia, Subway Detroit Public Library, Wayne State University student leaders-Rotoracts and the African Student Society and the Liberian Association of Michigan.
Editors Note:
Date: January 31, 2008
Time: 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m
Location: Detroit Public Library (Old Fine Room)
5201 Woodward Avenue
Detroit, MI 48202
(The Main Library located on the campus of Wayne State University.)
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Sponsored by:
Honorary Consul General, Mike Bedoun, Republic of Liberia
