Stockbridge — Spreading the love of reading was the theme of the Literacy Network’s event at the Norman Rockwell Museum on Friday, April 19. The event was held during the regional school district’s April vacation.
LitNet is a nonprofit organization that provides programs to help non-native English speakers improve their English skills, along with providing programs that help with basic education, high school-equivalency test preparation, and U.S. citizenship test preparation.
The goal of the event, which was free to LitNet learners and their families, was to spread the love and fun of reading. “Literacy is everything when it comes to getting ahead in life,” Literacy Network Executive Director Leigh Doherty told The Berkshire Edge. “Our mission is to transform lives through language and literacy. We feel that it’s important to share that message with families.”
Doherty said the organization currently serves 200 adults with its programs, with 40 adults on its waiting list.
“To me, literacy is everything,” area musician Doug Mishkin said.
Mishkin, a longtime supporter of LitNet, performed several songs at the event including “America The Beautiful” and “Somos El Barco” (“We Are The Boat”). For his performance of “America The Beautiful,” Mishkin added a verse previously written by Noel Paul Stookey of Peter, Paul, and Mary:
Oh, nation of the immigrant
The slave and native son
Whose loyal families labor still
That we may live as one
America, America
Renew thy founder’s call
Let liberty and justice be
The right of one and all
“The verse talks about the importance of immigrants in our nation’s history,” Mishkin said. “It’s important to have an organization like LitNet in order to make sure that our Spanish-speaking communities feel welcome in every way.”
“LitNet has been a very good resource for me,” said Gloria Escobar, financial wellness Latinx outreach coach at Greylock Federal Credit Union.
Along with Adult Learning teacher Becky Meier from Berkshire Community College, Escobar read children’s books to families attending the event. “I came to America as an immigrant 24 years ago, and LitNet helped me to learn English,” Escobar said. “They always had their tutors to help support me in every way. When I was taking classes in Business Administration, they always provided me with a tutor to help me understand vocabulary. When I started working at Greylock, they helped to find a person with a banking background to help me learn.”
At the event, books were given away to families, and Stockbridge Library Youth Librarian Rachel Nicholson signed families up for library cards. “I could go on for hours talking about how important literacy is to children,” Nicholson said. “Literacy is everything for children. It’s the foundation for everything. When children are born, from the very first minute they come into this world, they are learning.”
Doherty added that the organization is in “dire need” of tutors to help with its programs.
For more information about the Literacy Network, visit its website.
