Literacy Council of Carroll County, MD

A student farewell!
Herman Walker recently competed his reading skills program here at the Literacy Council and will soon be relocating out of the area. His tutor, Diane Eney, said that he was a consistently attentive and enthusiastic student. We will all certainly miss his cheerful, upbeat presence. We want to congratulate him and wish him well in all future endeavors!

Pictured below (l to r): Cristina Romeo, Westminster Rescue Mission, Herman Walker, and Diane Eney, LCCC tutor

MEET THE TUTORS: LISA POOLE
In today’s “Meet the Tutors” post, we will be introducing Lisa Poole. Lisa has been a Literacy Council tutor for just over a year. She is currently tutoring one student in basic reading skills and has previously worked with a non-native English speaker, helping her improve her English language skills. Lisa is a retired school teacher, having taught for over 30 years in a variety of CCPS schools (including Sandy Mount Elementary, Taneytown Elementary, and Mt. Airy Middle). She has always found teaching to be rewarding and says she enjoys tutoring at the Literacy Council as it allows her to continue teaching, while experiencing it in a new way. Lisa is enjoying her retirement and has many hobbies and interests. In addition to volunteering at the Literacy Council, she also volunteers at Carroll Hospital. Her hobbies include reading, gardening, and crafting. She is also a member of a local book club and helps plan club trips. Lisa and her husband enjoy motorcycle riding and camping. She loves animals and has an English Mastiff named Casey, two mutts named Piper and Kobe, a black cat named Skylark, and a (naughty) cat named Jessie. And Lisa is looking forward to becoming a first-time grandmother in October! We are grateful to Lisa for taking time to tutor and for all she brings to tutoring and to the Literacy Council!

A student milestone, a tutor farewell, and a tutor welcome!
Kelly Chepko has received a certificate of completion, marking one year of tutoring with Elizabeth "Lisa" Friedlander. As Lisa will be relocating out of the area, we wanted to mark this shared milestone event. Congratulations, Kelly! Thank you, Lisa, for your service! And welcome to Bethany Chalmers who will be taking over Lisa’s tutoring duties!

Pictured below (l to r): Lisa Friedlander, Bethany Chalmers, and Kelly Chepko

LCCC Success Stories!
We are so proud of our students:
-Madison Tignor – passed the math portion of the GED exam (5/26)
-William Martin – passed his plumbing apprenticeship examination (5/26)
-Erik Solis – passed his citizenship test (10/25)
-Maria Sanchez – passed her citizenship test (6/25)
-Bertha Shea – accepted to Carroll Community College (3/25)
Congratulations one and all! ❤️

Successful Financial Education and Scam Prevention Seminar!

With a good turnout and a lively questions and answers session, the Literacy Council of Carroll County and Habitat for Humanity of Carroll County presented Protecting Your Finances and Avoiding Scams: What You Need to Know, a free public seminar held on May 18th at the Carroll Arts Center. After opening remarks by Sam Greenholtz, Executive Director, Carroll County Literacy Council; Amy Laroque-Rumano, Executive Director, Habitat for Humanity of Carroll County; and Stephen Strosnider, Executive Director, Carroll Arts Center the following presentations, covering a wide range of financial topics affecting all Carroll County citizens, were given:

-Financial in the Educational Process by Phyllis Zumbrun, retired educator and former FDIC auditor
-Update on Carroll County’s Current Fraud and Scam Exposure by Carroll County Sheriff Jim DeWees and Assistant State’s Attorney Alan Culver
-Financial Management and Fraud Scams in the Real Estate Market by Nora Drury, Maranatha Realty associate broker
-What You Need to Know in Today’s Banking World by Dawn Bornman, vice president of security and fraud management at ACNB Bank
-Scam Recognition and Prevention Strategies by Detective Jason Earhardt of the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office and Jack Bayne of the Carroll Technology & Innovation Council

The program was sponsored by ACNB Bank, Kohn Creative, and the Carroll Arts Center.

The Literacy Council will be closed on Monday, May 25th, in recognition of Memorial Day.

Carroll Community College Student Makes a Gift to the Literacy Council: Helena Snyder, a student in Carroll Community College’s Physical Therapy Assistant Program, recently completed a short-term volunteer assignment at the Council. During her time here Helena met with many of our tutors and students and gained experience using our volunteer tracking database. At the end of her assignment Helena donated a cork board for use in our office. We appreciate the donation and enjoyed having her here. We thank Helena and wish her all the best in her future studies and endeavors!

Pictured below: Helena Snyder and LCCC Office Manager, Jamie Anderson.