Literacy Council About Us

LCSC Newsletter

March, 2010

Upcoming Events

Watch this space for more events in 2010.

Dezilia Versil

The Literacy Council of Sumner County feature student is Dezilia Versil, who hails from La Gonave, Haiti. Dezilia, who grew up speaking French-based Creole, is an English as a Second Language student studying math, reading and writing at the LCSC. She's one of our hardest working students, and spends several hours a week in sessions with tutors as well as accomplishing homework. Her goal is to achieve her G.E.D. Since she began with the LCSC in February 2006, she has improved by two or three grade levels.

“I feel very exited about my work,” says Dezilia. When she was younger, she cared for her children, and that kept her busy. But now, she says, she can concentrate on her studies and is making much progress. Dezilia has two grown daughters, ages twenty-six and twenty-four.

Dezilia Versil (Right),
with her math tutor,
Michelle Burgess

When she came to the U.S. she was sixteen years old—the youngest one in the boat that carried her across, with no family members other than a cousin. In Florida as a teenager, she had to drop out of school and go to work. She moved to Hendersonville after the Florida hurricanes of 2004 and 2005.

Now that she has established herself as an American, she can return to Haiti to help the people in La Gonave. She takes missionary trips to her former home. “I bring clothes and food, and I tell about Jesus,” she says. She gives Christian services and sermons, goes house to house, and arranges weddings. She says her work with the LCSC has helped in her work, because now she reads better.

Dezilia and friends in Haiti

Our goals for 2010:

Develop an effective community education program.
Strengthen our board and advisory committees.
Impact more lives in Sumner County.

Volunteer Needs

Board of Directors members. Especially volunteers with experience in law or human resources.
Math tutors. Volunteers with basic math skills such as addition and subtraction, multiplication and division, and fractions. Knowledge of algebra and geometry would be helpful. (1-2 hrs. per week).
Office help. Filing, answering phones, entering data. (4-6 hrs. per week.)
QuickBooks help. We're looking for a volunteer to enter our financial information into QuickBooks once a month.

How to Donate

Perhaps you would like to donate $25 in order to help us meet our goal of impacting more lives in Sumner County? If you would like to make a donation, please make your check payable to The Literacy Council of Sumner County, and mail it to: 260 W. Main St., Ste. 111C, Hendersonville, TN 37075 Thank you.

The Literacy Council of Sumner County
Board of Directors

Ron Humphrys, Chair

Joy Delk, Secretary

Michelle Bellah

Jeff Coker

Lynda Evjen

Jill Grim

Vicki Harper

Bryan Jones

Ann Lacey

Dr. Floyd Lacey, Sr.

Julianne Lee

Mark Ross

Denine Torr

Ronnie Wise

Eddie Wyatt

We are pleased to announce the addition of an Adult Literacy Coordinator to our staff this month. The LCSC welcomes Pattie Suddarth. Pattie, a native of Gallatin, TN, has a background in human resources and office management, and she is passionate about community service. Said Pattie, "I am very pleased and blessed to be a partner in this wonderful organization. I enjoy helping others and this position provides me that opportunity. I have met and continue to meet wonderful people."

The Board of Directors of the Literacy Council of Sumner County is pleased to announce the addition of Ronnie Wise to the board, according to Board President Ron Humphrys.

Wise is a professional librarian who spent 30 years designing, developing, and managing public libraries in Mississippi. He was the founder and CEO of the Bolivar County Literacy Council, Inc., a private non-profit corporation dedicated to the advancement of literacy and continuing education in the Mississippi Delta. The Bolivar County Literacy Council, Inc. has been recognized by the State of Mississippi, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and others as being one of the most innovative and successful literacy programs in the United States. For the last few years, Wise has worked with his wife Michele and her motion picture research company. The Wises reside in Hendersonville.

“I am honored to be asked to play an active role with Sumner County's Literacy Council. The Literacy Council cares about all the citizens of Sumner County. Raising educational levels enriches lives, attracts business, and creates better communities. In these hard economic times, service providers such as the Literacy Council are more important than ever,” comments Wise.

“Our board of directors and staff are looking forward to working with Ronnie and learning from his expertise,” states Humphrys.

The Literacy Council of Sumner County (LCSC) is a not-for-profit learning and resource center for children and adults. Their mission is to provide counseling, resources, and tutoring to children, youth, and adults to enhance their skills in all academic areas.

It is located at 260 West Main St. in the City Square Shopping Center in Hendersonville. For more information about LCSC programs or for upcoming event information, go to their website at www.literacysumner.org or call 822-8112.

The Literacy Council of Sumner County (LCSC) Board of Directors has elected Goodlettsville resident Mark Ross and Hendersonville resident Jill Grim to join the Board, according to Board President, Ron Humphrys.

Ross, a graduate of Belmont University, is the Press and Publicity Manager of Live On Stage Inc., where he oversees press and media campaigns for multiple touring artists. Previously, he worked for Gaylord Entertainment at the Opryland Hotel and Convention Center. Ross also has experience in the music business in Nashville with a major label and has worked for a public relations firm. He lives in Goodlettsville with his wife Renee, a teacher for Nashville Metro Schools, and his 19-month-old daughter. He began volunteering with the Literacy Council of Sumner County in March.

According to Ross, “My interest in literacy is largely due to my grandmother Ritchie who worked in an elementary school in Old Hickory for 25 years and who taught adults to read in her free time.”

Grim is an attorney for the State of Tennessee and graduated from Barry University School of Law. Prior to attending law school, she was a technical writer in the software and defense industries. Grim moved to Hendersonville a year ago from Orlando, Florida with her husband Bob and sons Alex and Brian. She volunteered as a student mentor, home owner's association board member, special advocate for children, and PTA vice president in Orlando. She has volunteered with the LCSC since June.

“In today’s world, literacy is more important than ever and involves more than just being able to read. I look forward to working with the Literacy Council’s mission to help both adults and children improve their skills in many subjects, such as reading, math, and preparing for the GED exam,” Jill remarks.

“Our Board of Directors is very impressed with Mark and Jill's dedication to literacy and community service, and we look forward to working with both of them. With the skills they are bringing to the board, we think they will be an asset to our agency,” states Humphrys.

The Literacy Council of Sumner County is a not-for-profit learning and resource center for children and adults. Their mission is to provide counseling, resources, and tutoring to children, youth, and adults to enhance their skills in all academic areas.

The Literacy Council of Sumner County (LCSC) has nominated one of their volunteer tutors, Sally McCanner, for the Mary Catherine Strobel Volunteer Awards, according to LCSC Director, Margie Anderson.

The Mary Catherine Strobel Volunteer Awards is a program established by Hands On Nashville to recognize volunteers in Middle Tennessee that have selflessly given their time and talent to improve their community. Strobel Awards nominees are invited to attend a luncheon on April 22nd in Cool Springs to celebrate their commitment to service.

“We nominated Sally because of the dedication, flexibility, and caring attitude she has exhibited as a volunteer tutor for the Literacy Council,” states Anderson. McCanner has been a volunteer tutor at the LCSC for two and a half years, and has worked all that time with one student. She has been able to keep her student motivated, and she has worked diligently with him to improve his English skills and help him toward his goal of earning a high school diploma.

“Part of the reason Sally has been such an effective tutor for our agency is that she is adept at coping with her student's schedule changes and shifts in his needs. Sally's been creative in finding materials for him to work with, and she makes herself available in between tutoring sessions if her student needs additional help with homework or is preparing for a test,” says Anderson.

According to McCanner, “Volunteering for the Literacy Council of Sumner County is a good opportunity to meet people I otherwise might never have encountered.” She also trains guide dog puppies, and is currently training her twentieth dog.

Cynthia Geiger, an AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) member has joined the staff of the Literacy Council of Sumner County, according to its director, Margie Anderson.

Geiger will help develop and implement fundraising efforts for the nonprofit, as well as helping to manage the volunteers who give their time to provide tutoring to the agency’s clients.

Geiger has previously served as a volunteer tutor for the Indiana Reading Corps, and spent last year in Denver, Col. as an AmeriCorps member serving in an Early Head Start classroom.

She is a native of Fremont, Ohio, holds a BA in English literature from DePauw University and plans to pursue a master’s degree in library science in the future.

This is the first year that the Literacy Council of Sumner County has taken on a VISTA member.

VISTA is a national service program founded in 1965 to combat poverty. In 1993, VISTA was incorporated into AmeriCorps, a federal program with the mission of improving lives and fostering civic engagement through service. Members of VISTA commit to serve full-time for a year at a nonprofit organization or local government agency, working to make the organization and its programs sustainable.

The Literacy Council of Sumner County provides resources, counseling, and tutoring to children, youth, and adults to enhance their skills in all academic areas.

It is located at 260 West Main St. in the City Square Shopping Center in Hendersonville. For more information about the literacy councils programs or for upcoming event information, go to the Web site at www.literacysumner.org or call 822-8112.

Three new members have joined the Board of Directors of the Literacy Council of Sumner County (LCSC), according to the nonprofit’s director Margie Anderson.

Retired from Dollar General Corporation in 1998 after 27 years, Humphrys has been a volunteer for LCSC since the fall, tutoring in math and reading. He will assist the board in strategic planning for the agency.

Humphrys held various positions in merchandising at Dollar General including General and Divisional Merchandise Manager, and he retired as Vice President of Logistics and an officer of the company. He is a member of First Presbyterian Church in Gallatin, and he is involved with fund raising and various projects for the Boy Scouts in Sumner County.

Lee is currently working in the LCSC office, updating the website and designing pamphlets and handouts and will offer marketing and publicity experience to the LCSC as a board member. She has volunteered with the Literacy Council of Sumner County since 2003.A published author of nine novels, most recently A Question of Guilt: A Novel of Mary, Queen of Scots, and the Death of Henry Darnley, Lee has experience in journalism and worked as a video sleeve copy writer for Fox Home Entertainment. She served on The Steeple Players Advisory Board for 14 years.

Wyatt, owner of Value Max, has been self-employed for the last 16 years in product merchandising services specializing in the value sector of the retail industry. Prior to that, he worked for 19 years in the retail industry as Area Supervisor, Buyer, Divisional Merchandise Manager, and Vice President of Softlines.

A member of First Baptist Church of Hendersonville, Wyatt served as President of Woodhaven Homeowners Association for 6 years, and has been a member of the Gallatin Board of Zoning Appeals for 8 years. As a board member, he will assist the Literacy Council of Sumner County in strategic planning.

“We are so excited to have Ron, Julianne, and Eddie join our Board of Directors. One of our goals for 2009 is to strengthen our board and I am confident that our three new board members will add a new dimension,” Anderson said.

The Literacy Council of Sumner County is a not-for-profit learning and resource center for children and adults. Its mission is to provide counseling, resources, and tutoring to children, youth, and adults to enhance their skills in all academic areas.

It is located at 260 West Main St. in the City Square Shopping Center in Hendersonville. For more information about LCSC programs or for upcoming event information, go to the Web site at www.literacysumner.org or call 822-8112.