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Local leaders endorse Literacy Coalition for Herkimer, OneidaUTICA — More than 75 leaders from Herkimer and Oneida counties gathered Wednesday at Oneida-Her-kimer-Madison BOCES for the unveiling of the Literacy Coalition of Herkimer and Oneida Counties’ Community Plan for Increasing Literacy. The plan is a culmination of more than six months of work by the coalition, made up of community leaders.The meeting was the third meeting in six months convened bv the literacy coalition. The first meeting in May alerted leadership to the literacy crisis in Herkimer and Oneida counties and how creating a plan andworking through a literacy coalition will improve the crisis. In August, the group reconvened for an update. At the final meeting, leadership endorsed the plan.“This plan means a lot for our community and for the literacy coalition said Lara Sepanski Pimentel, executive director of the Literacy Coalition of Herkimer and Oneida Counties, in a news release. “We now- have a blueprint for how to increase literacv in Herkimer and Oneida Counties; with defined priority' areas, performance indicators to measure our success and learn from, and, most importantly, a committed group ofpassionate people to make it all happen.”The plan for was funded by the MT Bank/Partners Trust Bank Charitable Fund of The Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties. It was facilitated by Kim Scott of Literacy Powerline.“The only way were going to see real impact on the literacy crisis in Herkimer and Oneida counties is through collaborative efforts and better alignment of resources,” said David Manzelmann, donor-advi-sor of the fond and market president of MT Bank, in a news release. “The MT Bank/Partners Trust BankCharitable Fund believes increasing literacy is the best way to positively affect our community for lasting change.”The Literacy' Coalition of Herkimer and Oneida Counties is a group of community stakeholders who share a vision of raising a 100 percent literate society through 100 percent community engagement. Membership of the coalition ranges from school and library personnel to business people and civic organization members, to nonprofits and community members.“The work that took place over the past six months shows a real strength of ourcommunity in that when w'e’re faced with a crisis, we ban together to make it better,” said Peggy O’Shea, president and chief executive officer of the Community- Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties, in a news release. “The literacy coalitions plan for increasing literacy is certainly a positive leap not only for solving the illiteracy issues we face, but also in bringing our two counties even closer together. The Community Foundation has stood beside the coalition since its inception, and will continue to support its work because it’s truly a community need.”
Newspaper Details
Herkimer Telegram
Herkimer, New York, US
Sat, Nov 17, 2012
Page 23
Full Page
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USA 09 Nov 2023
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