Thank you, Cindy!

On June 30th, 2023, Literacy Together’s staff said goodbye to Cindy Threlkeld on her last day as Executive Director (LuAnn joined us from New York!). We’ve been so appreciative of her leadership, her kindness, and her sense of humor. All the best, Cindy! Enjoy your retirement and your time with Gracie!

Read Cindy’s farewell message:

“June 30 will be my last day as the Executive Director of Literacy Together as I retire after almost four years in the role. It has been an honor to serve an organization that lives up to its mission of transforming lives and communities through the power of literacy.  

It takes time, patience, and tenacity to overcome the myriad of obstacles that stand in the way of learning a new language or achieving the goal of earning a GED. The synergy between our volunteer tutors and adult learners is inspirational. For elementary students struggling to keep up with their peers, working with an understanding adult or an energetic youth intern builds the confidence and skills to break through the fog towards a world of possibility. For families with children under five, the Dolly Parton Imagination Library provides free books to instill a love of reading from infancy to kindergarten. Literacy Together’s commitment to lifelong learning truly comes to fruition through our core programs.

I’ve been blessed to work alongside an amazing team of staff, volunteers, donors, community partners, and board members—people who are passionate about ensuring that everyone has access to literacy. I’ll miss the excitement and the personal satisfaction of working together to make that happen. 

The Transition Committee appointed by the Board worked diligently to select the right person to become the new Executive Director. Watch for that announcement in the next newsletter! I am excited about what they will bring to the organization and look forward to staying in touch.”

With gratitude,

Cindy Threlkeld

Continue Reading No Comments

Literacy Together welcomes new Executive Director, Amanda Wrublewski

Amanda smiling in outdoor photo

Amanda smiling in outdoor photoAfter an extensive search, Literacy Together is pleased to announce the selection of its new Executive Director, Amanda Wrublewski. Amanda is a Western North Carolina native. She was a Peace Corps volunteer in Zambia when she powerfully connected with the importance of literacy and the inequity of access.

Amanda says, “As Executive Director, I commit to deeply understanding and evaluating our community’s many barriers to literacy. I will dedicate myself to working alongside the Literacy Together team to dismantle those barriers. It will be an honor to learn from a team of experts already doing this work so well while offering my perspective and guidance.”

Amanda was most recently the Vice President of Programs at Big Brothers Big Sisters of WNC, coordinating an 18-county region. Before that, she was the Program Supervisor at Swannanoa Correctional Facility, developing service plans to support and connect incarcerated women with needed assistance. 

Amanda begins her role in July, succeeding Cindy Threlkeld, who has served as Literacy Together’s Executive Director since 2019. Cindy is retiring June 30, leaving Literacy Together an expanded organization through her experience and guidance.

Literacy Together’s Board Chair, Marilyn Cortes, says, “Under Cindy’s leadership, Literacy Together has experienced tremendous growth as an organization by strengthening the four existing core programs; English for Speakers of Other Languages, Adult Literacy, Youth Literacy, and Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library® and by developing new programs. We are excited for Amanda to join our team and continue with our mission of changing lives in our community through the power of literacy.”

Literacy Together has served Buncombe County for over 37 years providing free tutoring to meet the literacy and English language needs of people of all ages in Buncombe County. Our vision is for a just and equitable community in which literacy is accessible and achievable by all.

Continue Reading

A Full Circle Story

Hi, my name is Zurilma Anuel. I’m from Venezuela, a proud mother of two beautiful girls, and engaged to a wonderful man. I moved to the USA in 1998. 

My oldest daughter was born in Venezuela when I was 21 years old. Soon after her birth, she was diagnosed with spina bifida. Doctors didn’t think that she was going to be able to walk. Of course, I wanted more for her. She needed the best medical care possible, and I thought I could get better medical care in the United States. Because of that, my daughter and I moved to Asheville, NC, when she was two. I could have said that this was “My American Dream,” but I never knew about this phrase until a few years later. I made this decision without overthinking it. I realized that this was my purpose in life; I was put on this earth to love, help, and support my daughter.  

 Over time, I was able to find access to the medical resources needed for my daughter, but at the same time, things were getting more complicated, and I faced more challenges:

I did not speak English – I couldn’t communicate with the doctors to explain what was needed. I knew the interpreters were not telling the story as I could. Doctors were not even looking at me when explaining my daughter’s case. They were looking at the interpreter or the male person in the room (my ex-husband then). I felt invisible and powerless. The language affected not only me with doctors but also with daycare, finding a job, communicating with people, not being able to do any fun activities, and having no friends. Sadly, dealing with people that thought that because I didn’t speak English, I was not an educated person.

The doctors were going to operate on my daughter. I was not convinced of what the doctors diagnosed. I don’t know how or where the strength came from, but I demanded all medical records and searched for the best radiology doctors in the United States. I found a doctor at Miami Children’s Hospital that transformed my daughter’s life.

I am telling you this story because I was scared, but I learned it is ok to be scared when facing challenges. And I will tell you this as truth; We are stronger than we think. I realized that we have superpowers that will show up when we need them and do things we do not believe we can. Why? Because when the need is strong enough and the passion deep enough, we will find our true selves – our superpower – and grow into the people we were meant to be. 

As of now, my daughter is walking – running! She graduated in chemistry from the University of North Carolina; she is in the process of getting into medical school and getting her personal trainer certification.

As for me, I have a second healthy daughter, and through this experience, I grew, and was able to throw off the shackles of fear and self-doubt. Now, I am:

  • fluent in Spanish and English
  • the Director of a Small Business Administration program that is empowering women in business
  • the Founder of the Carolina Small Business Development Fund Latino Business program that is helping the Latino business community in Spanish across the state
  • founder of a nonprofit organization ReliefBox that helps people of Venezuela who need food, medicine, clothes, and any other essential needs
  • Board Member of Literacy Together, which provides free tutoring for adults, youth, and education to immigrants to learn to read and pass the citizenship test

I will always thank Literacy Together with all my heart for teaching me English as a second language and providing me with the support I needed during these difficult times. Because of them, I am no longer invisible.

I would like to donate and transform lives like Zuri’s!

Continue Reading No Comments

Pay it forward

Paying forward
Pay forward
 
Many of our volunteer tutors come to us with a desire to ‘pay forward’ the help and support that they received when living in countries where they didn’t speak the language. Some are themselves immigrants to the US or are the children of immigrants. Click below to hear from Nora, who has volunteered in our ESOL and Youth Literacy programs and is also a member of our Board of Directors, and Svetlana, whose parents immigrated here from Ukraine and learned English with the help of volunteers tutors. 
 
 

 

The English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) program teaches oral English, reading, and writing to adults who have immigrated to the U.S. from around the world. ESOL is the largest program at Literacy Together, serving approximately 250 students annually. Our students’ most common goals in learning English are to improve their employment prospects, help their children in school, and pass the U.S. Naturalization exam

Each student works with a trained volunteer tutor, either individually or in a small group of ten people. Tutoring takes place for two hours each week at times and locations that are mutually convenient for students and tutors. Tutors may choose to teach one (1) two-hour session or two (2) one-hour sessions each week and may do so online or in person. Read Barbara’s experience tutoring Maryna remotely, or Cecelia’s work from Germany as an ESOL tutor of six students! Read more about volunteering with this program.

The ESOL Program welcomes volunteers from all over the world! We now have tutors in Florida, New York, Massachusetts, New Mexico, Texas, the UK, and Germany. Sign up here to volunteer with us!

Enjoy these ESOL success stories!

Continue Reading No Comments

Translate »
Skip to content