Literacy program gets financial support for second year

Kalamazoo is one of 23 cities in the United States to be awarded a grant through the Cities of Impact Volunteering Fund. The $25,000 will go toward an initiative to deal with adult literacy, Kalamazoo Reads.

The $25,000 will assist the Kalamazoo Literacy Council in opening three new adult literacy centers in the city and recruiting new volunteers to assist 150 adults to learn to read or to improve their reading skills.

In 2012 Kalamazoo received its first Cities of Service grant of $25,000 which was also used for adult literacy programs. Three new learning centers were opened in Kalamazoo’s neighborhoods in 2013 and more than 100 new learners were helped by nearly 100 volunteers.

“Kalamazoo Reads will help further two very important goals in Kalamazoo: adult literacy, which is critically needed to help individuals lead full lives in today’s society and to secure employment; and volunteerism in our community,” says Mayor Bobby J. Hopewell. “This grant brings together volunteer tutors and adult students from throughout Kalamazoo, building stronger families and successful neighborhoods.”

Funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Cities of Service Impact Volunteering Fund is a multi-million dollar fund. Nearly $1 million was awarded through the first round of grants in October 2012, with an additional $1 million awarded through the second round. More than 60 mayors applied for Cities of Service Impact Volunteering Fund grants to support the implementation of nearly 90 initiatives. Grants ranged from $25,000 to $100,000.

Founded in September 2009 in New York City by New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and 16 other mayors from across the nation, Cities of Service helps mayors address local needs and make government more effective.

Writer: Kathy Jennings, Second Wave Media
Source: Jeff Chamberlain, City of Kalamazoo