Page 45 - Demo

Honors at This Reception Mark a Real Personal TriumphBY ROBERT LJSNIHANA garden is a place where things grow, where new life begins, and where beauty abounds. So it is fitting that on the afternoon of May 13, the staff of the Brooklyn Public Library%u2019s Literacy Program held a spring reception to honor the tutors and students at one of the city%u2019s most beautiful locations, the Brooklyn Botanical Garden. Everyone came to this tranquil root to celebrate their growth in the new world that had been opened up to them, the world of reading.%u2018%u2018We love tutoring,%u201d Judy Knight, a library staff member says, %u201cwe give our hearts to it. To see students progress, to see him finally understand a difficult word, or get a better job, it%u2019s just fantastic.%u201dIt is a brutal fact that one out of five people in New York City is illiterate. As we approach the year 2000, the growth of the service industry will make a crucial demand for workers with reading and writing skills. The people who are lacking in these essential skills will disappear, but become a painful reality that society will have to face. The Literacy Program is fighting this wave of fear by providing people with the basic abilities needed in a changing, complex world.The program for the reception in the Garden%u2019s auditorium listed the names of tutors who had given from the required 50 hours of service to those who, like May Bohanan, stayed with the program to give 700 hours of volunteer tutoring. The tutors are of every ethnic background and their reasons for joining the program are just as varied. A quick scan of the names revealed some repetitions, where family members had brought in their spouses or children to join this new, larger family.Jeanne Co wen, coordinator of the Literacy Program, greeted the members of the audience. She has been a driving force behind the program%u2019s success. Like the students, the literacy Program itself has grown: from a small group of libraries with modest facilities to a powerful organization with five impressive learning centers %u2014 the Central Library, Williamsburg, Bedford, Eastern Parkway, and Coney Island %u2014 all equipped with computers to bring students up to date with the latest teaching methods.%u201cThe greatness of a person,%u201d Cowen told the gathering, %u201ccan be measured by their willingness to be kind. You tutors put up with a great deal. You review the students, you send us reports. We love you and thank you very much.READ OFF THE NAMESAs she read off the names of the tutors who had contributed 50 hours of service, each person stood up from his seat, one by one like flowers springing from the earth, and were presented with a certificate. They had worked hard to get here. They were required to attend an 10-session workshop that prepared them for the singular duties of tutoring adults in reading. The applause rang out, and the tutors smiled.Careful planning and intelligent assessment goes into each student%u2019s placement into the program. First, he or she is given an evaluation (Library staff despise the word %u201ctest%u201d as it suggests competition or judgement %u2014 definitely not a part of their work) so that his or her exact needs can be determined. Brooklyn neighborhoods vary with the influx of new people, and the program tries to target their needs by operating the learning centers in areas where unemployment and lack of education is most severe. Perhaps a students needs training in the English as a Second Language program. Perhaps a student has a basic grasp of the language but needs additional coaching. In that case, the student joins in on a group session, where the members can pool their ideas and stimulate each other%u2019s thoughts.HAVE A STUDENT COUNCH.There are literacy programs in the city%u2019s other libraries, but Brooklyn leads the way with a very important feature. Patrick Fiore, Coordinator of the Library%u2019s Office of Collection Development, says %u201cwe are the only program that has a student council, where the students are given a chance to express their feelings about the program.%u201dThe high point of the evening came when Cyril Acham, a 300 hour man and the Student Council Liaison, took the stage with his %u201cgang%u201d %u2014 students who had come along to thank their tutors personally for all their hard work. Cyril is a man of incredible energy and devotion. Just this past winter, he had many people scratching their heads when he scheduled a party honoring the tutors on, of all days, Superbowl Sunday. Many were convinced that no one would show up and many people were quite wrong.It is a brutal fact that one o fevery five New Yorkers areilliterate. A s we approach 2000,the growth o f the serviceindustry will make a crucialdemand fo r workers with readingand writing skills.Top, Jeanne Cowen (right) stands up toaccept her honor. Below, Cyril Achemreceives award from m em bers M ae Petoffand M arie Pentangalo for his leadership.(Phoenix/Lenihan Photos)Eighty people turned their backs on the Bears to show up at Cyril%u2019s party.%u201cI%u2019ve been so lucky,%u201d Cyril said, %u201cI%u2019ve wandered a bit, but I came into this program and I%u2019ve never been so happy. To tell you the truth, I think I should pay them.%u201dOUT OF THE DARKNESS Each of the students stepped up to the podium to tell how the program had donegreat things for him or her. Jeannette Smith, a student of May Bohanan%u2019s, told how the program brought her out of the darkness. James Delmore told how much he appreciated his tutor%u2019s guidance. All the students remarked how they had gained new confidence through the efforts of their tutors.Now, Cyril didn%u2019t know it, but it was going to be a day of surprises for him. First, he was given a plaque honoring his dedication and service that read: %u201cAlways there when we need you.%u201d The words never carried more truth and the award was no surprise to anyone who knows Cyril. As if that weren%u2019t enough, Cyril%u2019s son, who was supposed to be in Detroit, rose from his seat and embraced his sobbing father on the stage as the audience came to its feet in thunderous cheers.WITH HEIJP OF OTHERS %u201cAm I deserving of all this %u2014 I%u2019ll use a big word %u2014 adulation? I can%u2019t spell it, but I known what it means. You were all behind me. We don%u2019t do things by ourselves, it%u2019s with the help of others.%u201dTo cap off the ceremony, Gregory Gardner, the %u201cstaff baritone,%u201d as Jeanne Cowen likes to call him, came up to the stage and, backed up by some fine piano playing, sang a trio of delightfully appropriate songs. Beginning with %u201cYou%u2019ll Never Walk Alone,%u201d and moving into %u201cPeople,%u201d and ending with a rousing version of %u201cHe%u2019s Got the Whole World in His Hand,%u201d Gregory had the audience singing and clapping along.After the ceremony, everyone moved stairs for some fine food (provided by affles) and music from a three piece band. The students and tutors got together and talked about their successes and their plans for the future. Thanks to the Literacy Program, these plans were not idle dreams, but something within the students%u2019 grasp.%u201cAnyone who doubts the success of this program,%u201d Patrick Fiorie said, %u201cshould be here today.%u201dThe band piayea on. Gradually people stepped out of the building and walked through the surrounding garden in small groups of two or three. It%u2019s a beautiful place, a growing place. It is a place for anyone willing to work for it.To become part of the library's literacy Program, either as a volunteer or to get help, call the Central Branch at 780-77H.Lambda to EndorseLambda Independent Democrats of Brooklyn will hold its Endorsement Night for the 1986 State and Federal Elections on Thurs., May 29, 7:30pm at the Church of St. Michael & St. Mark, 230 Adelphi St.Candidates for the Democratic State Committee, Assembly, State Senate, Governor and other statewide offices, Congress and the U.S. Senate are invited to attend.They will present their case for endorsement from 7:30-9:30. Each will have three minutes to advocate their candidacy and club members will have time for questions. At 9:30 all races will be discussed and endorsements voted. The meeting will end zt10pm.Based on these endorsements LID will join with other clubs to petition for candidates, distribute literature and make calls to voters. This summer LID will again hold its Champagne & Dessert garden party to raise campaign contributions for its endorsed candidates. LID is Brooklyn%u2019s Gay and Lesbian political club. Its regular monthly meeting is the second Thurs. For information, call 636-1901 or write LID, 44 5th Ave., No. 151, Brooklyn, 11217.Boston Activist SpeaksBoston activist Mel King, who ran a strong race for mayor in that city last year, will be keynote speaker at a May 31 conference in Downtown Brooklyn that will focus on developments presently underway in the area and their effects on the neighhnrinc>communities.The organizers say that the four major developments, Metrotech, Atlantic Terminal, Morgan Stanley, and Renaissance Plaza, will not only change the face ofdowntown Brooklyn, they will also radically affect the neighboring communities, particularly making an impact on housing. The conference, set for Sarah J. Hale High School, Dean Street, near Third Ave., will also have workshops to examine the possiblities of creating affordable housing, as well as job development for local residents and the maintenance of small businesses.Keynote speaker King is an expert in economic development. The sponsors of the conference include Medgar Evers College Center for Law and Social Justice, Brooklyn Neighborhood Improvement Association, the ATURA coalition and Prospect Heights Neighborhood Association. Among the endorsers are Assemblymembers Roger Green, Jim Brennan and A1 Vann.Club Honors DiBrenziaThe West Brooklyn Independent Democrats will honor City Couneilmember Stephen DiBrienza at their 30th Anniversary Dinner on June 13. Dibrienza, who was elected last year to the seat held by retired Couneilmember Tom Cuilte, represents parts of Park Slope, Carroll Gardens, Red Hook, Sunset Park, Windsor Terrace, Borough Park, and Kensington.The dinner will be from 7:30pm12midnight, at the Marco Polo Ristorante, 354 Court Street. Admission is $47-50. For information, contact Marion C. Miller, 50 Sidney Place.Party fo r Rep. OwensThe Parkway Independent Democrats, a progressive reform club in Crown Heights, will host a fundraiser reception for Brooklyn Congressman Major Owens, June 1, 2-6pm, at Turner Towers Penthouse apartment.Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee will introduce Owens.Owens, a two-term Congressman from Central Brooklyn, says he expects a tough primary challenge from former CORE activist Roy Innis. %u201cThe primary might become a bitter struggle between long-time political rivals with deep philosophical differences,%u201d says Alice Wengrow. %u201cOwens, an influential member of the Congressional Black Caucus, has taken progressive positions in both international affairs and local issues,%u201d she adds. %u201cInnis, once a civil rights leader, has become a neo-conservative critic of social welfare programs. Owens has the respect of Congressmen around the country.%u201dFundraiser tickets are $35 and the event will be at 135 Eastern Parkway. For information, call 789-6841.Innis Moves His HQRoy Innis, the national chairman of the Congress of Racial Equality is opening a new Brooklyn office of CORE and moving his base here to become National Headquarters of the group. The action appears to be setting the stage for an expected challenge by Innis against U.S. Rep. Major Owens in the Central Brooklyn district.Innis has set an open house on May 29, from 3-7pm at the new location 1457-1463 Flatbush Ave. For more information call 434-3580.Gumbs to Face SenatorMoving to offer himseif to fill what he termed %u201ca vacuum of political leadership in Flatbush.%u201d the president of the newly formedGreater Flatbush Independent Democratic Club announced the endorsement of the candidacy of Maurice Gumbs in the 21st State Senatorial District, a seat now held by Democratic Senator Marty Markowitz.Ernest Skinner reports that %u201cGumbs received the near unanimous support of die membership over the other three candidates who appeared before us,%u201d he said, noting that Noel Burke, one of the contenders, withdrew from the race and endorsed Maurice Gumbs.Skinner says that GFIDC had invited Frederick Laverpool, Guillermo Philpotts and Burke to this special endorsement meeting of the political club and thanked the candidates for all appearing. The incumbent state senator was not extended an invitation in keeping with GFIDC%u2019s policy of not supporting any of the present incumbents in the Voting Rights districts. %u201cWe see no need to go through a charade of inviting someone who is not only personally obnoxious, but also demonstrates his contempt for voters in the 21st S.D. by boasting about his close ties with major figures facing indictment in the Hyfin Credit Union scandal.%u201dIncrease Worker Staff%u201cThere are 35,000 cases of child abuse each year in New York City, and we have only 400 workers to investigate them,%u201d North Brooklyn Congressman Edolphus \Towns charged in calling upon New York City to hire more caseworkers.%u201cAccording to City officials, a manageable workload for a Social Service field worker is one new case per week. To keep the workload manageable, the current staff of 400 must be increased to 795,%u201d the Congressman added. He offered a message of support at a May 24th rally at City Hall to dramatize the union%u2019s call for more jobs.%u201cChild abuse is one of the most intolerable crimes in our society. Those guilty of child abuse must be found out. Overworked investigators, however, cannot do an adequate job in solving these cases. We must have more workers,%u201d Congressman Towns says.May 29, 1986, THE PHOENIX, Page 43