OUR VOICE

Community Literacy of Ontario would like to extend thanks to the many participants who attended the Celebration of Literacy Volunteers Conference. This conference was co-hosted with Laubach Literacy Ontario to commemorate the International Year of the Volunteer and the powerful achievements of literacy volunteers. It was an empowering experience for the dedicated volunteers to be recognized for their great contributions to the field of literacy. Close to 300 participants in total attended the CLO and LLO joint celebratory conference.

According to the evaluations, all of CLO's workshops were resounding successes! High praise was received for the following workshops: Volunteer for the Health of It; Selection and Recruitment of Board and Committee Members; Ethical Approaches for Volunteer Involvement; Avoiding Burnout: Keeping the Fires Bright; The Math Kit and Link & Think: The New Technology of Connecting. Participants appreciated the expert facilitation skills and the opportunity to network with others from across the province.

At the opening dinner on October 18, 2001, CLO was proud to honour the five founding members of Community Literacy of Ontario - Carynne Arnold, Lindsay Kennedy, Doug Rankin, Vicki Trottier and Sheila Vlachos. In keeping with the theme of volunteerism, this was the perfect event at which to recognize their significant contribution to and on behalf of the literacy field. CLO’s founding five were given a portfolio inscribed with the following words: “When a collection of brilliant minds, hearts, and talents come together, expect a masterpiece.”

CLO's Annual General Meeting was held on October 19, 2001 with impressive representation from our member programs. CLO’s past board members were honoured for their important contributions. CLO's board of directors for the 2001/2002 term are: Debra Barrett, Joyce Bigelow, Laurie DesLauriers, Betty Ffrench, Jan Goatcher, Margaret Maynard, Dan McGibbon, Valerie Sadler, Penny Smith-Jensen, Lee Torvi and Denise Tremblay.

At the Gala evening on Friday, October 19, 2001, the Honourable Dianne Cunningham, Minister of Education, sent words of encouragement and gratitude to the multitude of literacy volunteers in Ontario. These sentiments were echoed by Senator Joyce Fairbairn, who delivered an impassioned speech that embraced the cause of literacy and the volunteers who champion that cause. Sandie Birkhead-Kirk, Senior Manager, Workplace Preparation Branch of MTCU and Lianne Vardy, Director of the National Literacy Secretariat, also addressed delegates. We were honoured to have special guests attend from the Ministry of Citizenship, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, the Ontario Literacy Coalition and the AlphaPlus Centre.

CLO and LLO were awarded with lovely, etched glass plaques from the Ontario government in honour of The International Year of the Volunteer. These plaques were presented to celebrate the work of dedicated volunteers and literacy practitioners with CLO and LLO who strengthen the resolve of adult learners to make important and courageous changes in their lives.

The awards continued with personalized plaques from CLO and LLO being presented to each community-based literacy agency in Ontario. This is in recognition of the tremendous contributions of their volunteers to the literacy field. Programs who did not have a representative present will receive their plaques in the mail.

CLO would like to again thank the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities and the National Literacy Secretariat for their funding and support of this memorable event.