The gift of knowledge was celebrated at the annual Love of Literacy Luncheon hosted by Literacy Services of Indian River County. In addition to presenting this year’s Student of the Year awards, the luncheon featured a conversation with Colleen McKeegan, author of “The Wild One” and “Riptide.”
Founded in 1971, Literacy Services provides free one-to-one and small class tutoring to local adults wishing to improve their reading and writing skills, and to ESL (English as a second language) students, including preparing for U.S. citizenship exams.
“In our 2023-24 fiscal year, our volunteer tutors provided over 10,000 hours of tutoring services to 358 students, and we always, always have a wait list for our services,” said JoAnn Hitt, board president.
Prospective tutors do not need teaching backgrounds, and are given all the necessary training and supplies.
“All we ask is a minimum of about 90 minutes to two hours with a student per week, either in person or remotely. We even have a tutor who tutors from her boat,” said Hitt, before introducing Valerie Kines, LSIRC executive director.
“Our aim is to help people be able to identify, understand, interpret, create, communicate and compute. Every adult needs that. But what we also see is the comprehensive effect that has on families,” said Kines.
She stressed the importance of an all-inclusive program to help parents read to their children, noting that children from low-literacy families are three times more likely to drop out of school and to be low literate themselves.
The Literacy Student of the Year was Bernie Branigan, who had quit school in the sixth grade and became motivated later in life to get help with his reading skills. With persistence, hard work and the assistance of his tutor, Mary Ann Abruzzo, he continues to advance in the reading program.
“I have learned that I have a lot to learn here, and I’m going to continue my education at the great age of 73,” said Branigan.
The ESL Student of the Year was Layla Posada, a native of Columbia with a master’s degree from Universidad de Salamanca in Spain. She was tutored by Mike Godown, and attended the conversation club he hosts with Sheila Small.
With her newfound skills, Posada earned her Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation license and is now a commercial building plans examiner for the county.
“My journey in learning English has been a long and rewarding one,” said Posada. “The challenge of communicating in a foreign language was daunting, but I was determined. I knew that mastering English was not just about learning grammar or vocabulary. It was about being able to connect to people, to navigate with my professional life and to fully integrate to the local community.”
Lauren Michaels, LSIRC board vice president, led a delightful conversation with McKeegan, a former features editor at Marie Claire, who has close ties to Vero Beach.
“Her family has a home here, and they have long been actively involved in our community and very supportive of Literacy Services, for which we are most appreciative,” said Michaels.
McKeegan enthralled her audience, speaking of her books and the foundation of her writing, crediting her mother and grandmother for encouraging her to pursue the creative arts and her writing abilities.
She also related the differences between her life as an editor in New York City to now, as the mother of two boys with an entirely different writing routine. Additionally, she commented on overcoming the initial challenges faced as a new author, particularly the loss of marketing control once the final draft is sent to the publisher.
“And the best advice I got from other writers is the only way to stay sane and just calm yourself is to start working on your next book,” said McKeegan.
For more information, visit LiteracyServicesIRC.org.
Photos by Joshua Kodis and Mary Schenkel
