Great Walkers!

Valerie Hannan receives a cheque for $109.00 from Raymond Dean. His pledges were from his participation in the Great Walk from Gold River to Tahsis. Val participated as well and collected $1,486.00 in pledges and walked 53kilometres.

Our Community Internet Site is up and running with Brian O'Rooney coordinating. Brian will give basic computer instruction and introduction to the internet. There are 6 computers for the public to use and it is free. It is estimated that 60 percent of jobs today require skills with technology. This program is partly funded by Industry Canada.

With the help of David Foerter we have to date placed 90 computers into the homes of families who could not otherwise afford them. Computer training is now seen as a fundamental literacy skill along with reading and writing.

Literacy Central VI Bookstore

Carolyn Salminen, bookstore manager presents Dave Parfitt with a Bookstore Volunteer Appreciation Award. Did you know........

of our 30 plus bookstore volunteers: 7 have been volunteer tutors, 2 have been Literacy Central VI Board members, 6 also hold other volunteer positions in our community. Literacy Central VI's very own admin. assistant, Val Hannan, is also a bookstore volunteer.

We have a very dedicated group of volunteers who work 1 or 2 shifts of 3 to 4 hours per week. They keep the store well organized, clean and welcoming to the 1200 plus customers who purchase approximately 5000 books per month.

In addition to the bookstore there are many ways you can volunteer with Literacy Central VI to help us to improve literacy in our community:

• If you like reading with children you can become a B.E.A.R. and volunteer for as little as one hour a week reading with children in elementary school. Many children arrive at school without ever having had the experience of reading a book with someone. They really benefit from the one to one.
  
  
• Then there is the Volunteer Tutor Program. The next training will be held in October at Malaspina U-C. Training will be held during the day and is 30 hours in total. Once you are matched with a learner we ask you to commit to tutoring 3 hours a week for 6 months.
  
  
• If you are into computers you can volunteer with our computer recycling program or our internet site.
  
  
• We have a volunteer board of directors. If you are interested in the workings of our board you are welcome to attend our monthly board meetings held the second Thursday of the month at 5:30pm at our offices.
  
  
• And, we wouldn't be a charity in Nanaimo if we didn't have a bingo license. We need bingo volunteers to work our biweekly bingo every alternate Sunday afternoon.