Disaster Recovery Grants Project
A Program of The Barbara Bush Texas Fund for Family Literacy
Final Report, September 2009
Literacy Advance of Houston
The objective of this project, as written, was:
- to replace lost instructional materials, furnishings, equipment and staff time.
The programs provided by Literacy Advance before the storm were able to continue at their optimal levels during the recovery and post recovery. Literacy Advance programs saw a slight decrease in number of participants due to learners’ personal lives being disrupted by the disaster. Literacy Advance is proud to report that 100% of their volunteer tutors returned to continue their service. Literacy program quality was maintained, thanks to the funding received to complete the objectives. Literacy Advance has begun to experience increases in participation and waiting lists in all program areas, including Wilcrest, Bay Area, and in over 25 Community Partner Sites throughout Houston in the calendar year 2009.
Through successful completion of all objectives, Literacy Advance has made a full and complete recovery from the natural disaster of 2008. While valuable programming time was lost during the recovery process, important lessons were learned and processes were improved or put into place for future disaster recovery efforts. Literacy Advance is grateful for the financial support the Barbara Bush Texas Fund has provided that has allowed the agency to make a full recovery.
Narrative Project Success
Thanks to the recovery program, Literacy Advance has been able to fully recover and maintain the level of services expected by volunteers and beneficiaries in Houston. The most successful aspect of the recovery program was that Literacy Advance retained 100% of its volunteer tutors. Literacy Advance programs rely 100% on volunteers to deliver its free services to the community. With an adult illiteracy rate of over 50% in Houston and the waiting list for services ballooning to over 500 learners at the Wilcrest site during the disaster period, it is crucial that adult and family literacy programs at Literacy Advance continue to grow and expand. Without the disaster recovery funds and program, the providers would have had to cut back services and delay replacement of supplies, resources, and equipment until funding was secured. Instead, programs have fully recovered. As of June 2009, record numbers of volunteers were being trained and the waiting list is now down to 330 learners at the Wilcrest site.
The following essays are from Literacy Advance learners in the program during the time of the natural disaster. First is an essay by Anna, who has since graduated from the program as an advanced ESL learner and is now contributing her time as an administrative volunteer for Literacy Advance!
“The Hurricane Ike was first in my life. I felt scared. We didn’t have a power more than week. I was really happy that I could attend my English classes in Literacy Advance, because they had new offices for us. It was really important for me don’t lose the time. Because I waiting for me resident documents which would allow me to work. That therefore the time is valuable for me. These classes very important for me, because they give me a lot of knowledge and opportunity to find a good job. Thank you for your support!”
The second is an essay by Hyesuk, an advanced ESL learner who has been in the Literacy Advance program since 2007. Hyesuk came to Literacy Advance so she could increase her English vocabulary and help her children. She has made significant progress in her English in the last two years, increasing her assessment scores every 12 weeks. Hyesuk wrote the following about the hurricane:
“Last September, after hurricane Ike hit us, it was really scary to see all the wreckage. My home in Katy was luckily safe, but our Literacy Advance center was damaged so we had no classes for a while. But the staff made a great effort to keep classes going on. We gathered in the other rooms of the building. It’s really good for us to continue classes, but somewhat strange without a blackboard. I missed our old place that was cozy and homey. When I looked inside, it was dark and damp. After a while, we came back to our place. We could shed the gloomy feeling caused by the damage. I have been very thankful to all the people who make this literacy center keep working.”
Thank You for being a Champion of Literacy! Thank you for providing the support and funding that insured Literacy Advance could continue to provide its free literacy services to the Houston Community!
