Tag: The Literacy Center

Community turns out in force seeking answers regarding potential federal immigration sweeps

Organizers plan a follow-up forum in early 2025.

Editor’s note — The first in a series of articles on local immigration rights and information sharing efforts in Coconino County. We encourage community members to provide information on upcoming events, issues and programs by sending an email to fmoraga@amigosnaz.com

By AmigosNAZ.com

While local law enforcement officials stated they do not work for the incoming presidential administration’s immigration program, community members and local immigration officials called for more local law enforcement information on how to protect themselves from potential federal immigration sweeps.

In what promises to be the first of a number immigration information programs in reaction to the potential new federal immigration policies starting on Jan. 20, 2025, members of the Flagstaff community gathered at Killip Elementary School for the “Let’s Talk About the Current State of Immigration” forum on Dec. 3, 2024.

The event, presented by the Northern Arizona Interfaith Council (NAIC), drew more than 150 individuals to the school’s gymnasium, who listened to live presentations by Flagstaff Police Chief Sean Connolly, incoming Coconino County Sheriff Bret Axlund, Flagstaff Mayor Becky Daggett, staff from the Mexican Consulate in Phoenix, plus a virtual presentation from the Mexican Consulate in Phoenix.

Bilingual report — The Literacy Center announces Fall Schedule of Classes

FLAGSTAFF — The Literacy Center at 2500 N. Rose, Flagstaff has released its Fall schedule of classes, including beginner and intermediate ESL, pronunciation, conversation and a program for folks who want to practice Spanish.

We offer a range of tutoring options to suit your needs. All of our services are available to our learners depending on their literacy levels and their stated needs and goals.

Please take a look at our learner schedule for our weekly class offerings and sign up to become a learner today!

It’s Vecinos Program allows participants to develop your Spanish language skills by partnering with a local community member who wants to develop their English skills. ​​

The Literacy Center — Save the Date (April 19) for our 27th Annual Mountain Spelling Bee

Join us for the Literacy Center’s 27th Annual Mountain Spelling Bee and watch or join a fun competition in spelling! This year, we will hold the bee at CCC’s Lone Tree campus.

Help us support our mission by joining us for our largest annual fundraiser which includes dinner, games, auctions, raffles and more! Want to offer support by joining s spelling team? Contact director@thinkliteracy.com for more information.

April 19 — The Literacy Center — Get your tickets for our 27th Annual Spelling Bee!

Come celebrate with us and support access to literacy for all members of our community. There will be dinner, drinks, games, raffles, auctions, and of course, the bee competition!

This year the bee will be held at CCC’s Lone Tree campus and will be catered by Fat Olives with an assortment of delicious Italian pizzas, salads, appetizers, and desserts!

Sept. 6 — Art Exhibition Fundraiser in Flagstaff — ‘Immigration Papers — Literary and Artistic Representations of the Immigrant Experience’

This is an art exhibition fundraiser that highlights the immigrant experience of our wonderful community. All proceeds go to support Northern Arizona Immigration Legal Services.

The Literacy Center — Thank you to all who donated, participated, and attended the 26th Annual Mountain Spelling Bee!

The Spelling Bee was a success

We could not have had such a successful event without all of you who participated! Congratulations to The Nerdettes: The Cat in the Hat Comes Back for their win! And congratulations to the Mead Hall Marauders for winning the spirit award!

Oct. 29 — The Literacy Center — Come Wine Taste for a Cause! This Sunday

Join us for a fundraising celebration of literacy filled with wine education, food, and fun! Tickets are $55 to enjoy 8 tastings from around the world! VIP tickets are available for an additional $10 and include 4 more tastings and two free raffle entries! Live music and refreshments will also be provided.

The event will take place this Sunday October 29th from 2 – 4 Pm at Serendipity.

The Literacy Center — Childcare Room donations still needed!

The Literacy Center has recently received a generous grant to start offering childcare to our learners. We hope that it will allow more learners (especially adult learners with kids) to come to our classes.

Currently, we are creating an enriching and fun space for kids at the center, and we are looking for donations to supplement the grant. We are looking for lightly used children’s books, toys, and other childcare supplies. In addition, we hope to install carpet, and we are looking for material and labor donations for that. We are also accepting donations through our Amazon Wish List that you can find here:

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1AV3YV9LGK09T?ref_=wl_share

We hope that our wonderful Flagstaff community will help us make the childcare room as inviting and safe as possible for our learners and their children.

Thank you for considering our request!

June 21 — Join The Literacy Center for a fundraiser at Drinking Horn Meadery

Join us in supporting literacy at the Drinking Horn Meadery on June 21st @ 6 PM! This fundraiser will involve a fun individual spelling bee competition, a raffle, and mead of course! 

Come spell (or watch), drink mead, buy some raffle tickets, and participate in fundraising for the Literacy Center! Proceeds from the raffle and a portion of mead sales will be donated to the Literacy Center.

The winner of this competition will get a sponsored seat on the Drinking Horn Spelling Bee team at the Literacy Center’s 26th Annual Adult Mountain Spelling Bee in April 2023!

There is no cost to participate in this fun spelling bee kickoff event. Just show up at the Meadery June 21st! Must be 21 to attend. 

The Literacy Center — Spelling Bee Attendance Survey

In the face of Covid-19, we are uncertain about whether putting on the 25th Annual Mountain Spelling Bee makes sense. We are planning to host the event on April 23rd, 2022 at the High Country Conference Center.

In order to determine the comfort level from the community about whether the bee would achieve the attendance needed to make the event planning worth it, we have created a short survey designed to gather which measures Covid-19 safety measures we can implement to raise attendance. 

The Literacy Center — Our reintroduction to in-person services

The Literacy center is officially reopening for in-person classes, drop-ins, and one-on-one tutoring on August 10th!!!! We are so excited to get to meet face-to-face once again. We will be offering several sections of ESL classes, conversation classes, and one pronunciation class at our site. In addition, we will continue our Zoom classes for those of us who are not yet comfortable in an in-person setting. Please check our online schedule at thinkliteracy.org for specific class dates and times beginning August 1st. Please feel free to drop in any time August 10th, 11th, or 12th to say hi! We will have refreshments available to celebrate our reopening.

The Literacy Center — A Hello from TLC’s new Executive Director, Amanda Black

I would like to formally introduce myself to all of the wonderful supporters of The Literacy Center. My name is Amanda Black, and I have been fortunate enough to have been chosen as the new Executive Director of TLC! I am delighted for the opportunity to lead TLC into a post Covid-19 era and look forward to getting to know each and every one of you.

A goodbye from The Literacy Center Executive Director Dianna Sanchez

I have some exciting, although bittersweet, news to share with you all.  I have recently accepted a position at Coconino Community College as their Chief Development Officer.  I will begin my new role at CCC on April 19th; however, I will remain at TLC through the end of June to assist with a smooth transition and to help with the completion of our Storybook Path.  Although I am looking forward to my position at CCC, leaving TLC was a difficult decision for me to make.  The relationships and the memories I have made with the TLC family are significant and I have absolutely treasured my time here. 

The Literacy Center — Sunny Days on the Horizon…

Happy Spring!! As the weather warms, vaccines become available, and schools reopen, we have so much exciting news to share with you all!  Please read on for announcements regarding some staff changes, our reopening plan, and Arizona Gives Day.

The Literacy Center — In Memory of Dr. Ann Beck

As some of you may already know, Dr. Ann Beck recently passed away unexpectedly.  For those of you who didn’t have the opportunity to meet Ann, she was the Executive Director of The Literacy Center for over a decade.  Ann passionately believed in education and literacy for all.  Her commitment to TLC’s mission is why our organization is thriving today.  For those of you who knew Ann, you already know that her energy, her drive, and her unwavering commitment to education were an incredible asset to the Flagstaff community.

The Literacy Center — A Perspective from Sakenya McDonald

In our last newsletter, we announced that Sakenya McDonald, a longtime TLC volunteer, would be sharing her thoughts regarding racial injustice and equality.  Her thought-provoking piece is below.  Thank you, Sakenya, for allowing TLC to share your voice and for allowing us to serve as an ally for our communities of color.

The Literacy Center update for Feb. 20 — Mountain Spelling Bee Bash, Arizona Tax Credits, and Volunteer Opportunities!!

It’s that time of year… Mountain Spelling Bee Bash, Arizona Tax Credits, and Volunteer Opportunities!! 23rd Annual Mountain Spelling Bee Bash Save the Date and get ready for the F-U-N!  The 23rd Annual Mountain Spelling Bee Bash will be April 25th…

CCC donates computers to The Literacy Center

FLAGSTAFF — Coconino Community College donated six computers to The Literacy Center to help the organization continue its mission of “literacy for all.” Doug King, CCC’s Assistant Director of Client Services, said that over the past six years, CCC has…