Community Corner
Literacy Volunteers of Central CT Present “Breaking Barriers: The Empowerment of Women Through Literacy”
On Thursday, October 17, the Literacy Volunteers of Central CT (LVCC) will host “Breaking Barriers: The Empowerment of Women Through Literacy,” a panel discussion on educational opportunities and challenges facing women, featuring LVCC students from around the world. The event will benefit LVCC’s literacy programs and will take place from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m. at McCue Mortgage, located at 1 Liberty Square in New Britain, CT.
“Breaking Barriers” will explore the similarities and differences in educational and career opportunities among the native countries of nine female LVCC students and the United States. The featured students are from a range of countries, including Iran, Yemen, Venezuela, Cambodia, Poland, and the U.S. They will discuss what the expectations are for women in their native countries, what their experience has been like in the U.S., and how learning English, and literacy in general, has affected them and their family’s lives.
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“The education of women can have a positive ripple effect that impacts generations, including increased job opportunities, higher wages, and improved childhood development,” said LVCC Executive Director Darlene Hurtado. “Over two thirds of all LVCC students are women that come from a variety of backgrounds and have had different experiences with education in their home countries. We know guests will leave inspired by these women’s stories and supportive of literacy in its fight for equal opportunity and helping women achieve their dreams for themselves and their children.”
The panel will be moderated by New York Times bestselling author, Emmy Award winning journalist, and documentary producer and speaker, Diane Smith. Honored by the Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame as a woman of “voice and vision,” Smith is currently the anchor and senior producer for program development at CT-N and president of Diane Smith Media.
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LVCC will also honor Glastonbury resident Elizabeth Mumford, Vice President of Marketing and Public Relations at Dutch Point Credit Union, for her outstanding support of women’s and family literacy programs over the years.
The event will be catered by Vision Hospitality Management and feature small plates reflecting the diverse cultural backgrounds of the chefs. There will also be a raffle to benefit LVCC, featuring a variety of specialty gift baskets.
The cost is $50.00 per person. Seating is limited and guests are encouraged to RSVP by October 9. For more information or to purchase a ticket, please call 860-229-7323 or visit www.literacycentral.org.
About Literacy Volunteers of Central Connecticut
Founded in1978, the LVCC provides small group and one-on-one literacy tutoring to over 400 adults in the communities of New Britain, Middletown, Berlin, Bristol, Burlington, Cromwell, Durham, East Haddam, East Hampton, Haddam, Kensington, Marlborough, Middlefield, Plainville, Portland, and Southington. Tutors are all volunteers and receive high quality training, free of charge, prior to becoming a Literacy Volunteer.
In addition to the adult literacy program, LVCC recently founded the Family Literacy Center, which provides educational programs to low-literate mothers with children under the age of 8 who need to learn English to support their children’s success in school, or to help them earn their GED. The center provides childcare for approximately 20 children while mothers are in class. For more information, please visit www.literacycentral.org.
