Literacy New York Buffalo-Niagara, Inc. is pleased to announce free adult and children’s programming at Canalside this summer.

Beginning in June, the local not-for-profit agency will host a monthly Scrabble® event and book club for adults. Likewise, starting July 9^th, the organization will run a weekly literary arts project for children grades 5 through 12. Program descriptions are as follows:

Buffalo Reads Book Club

Join Jennifer Westerholt, Director of Marketing and Development at

Literacy New York Buffalo-Niagara, Inc., for a monthly book discussion

June 14th– Black Irish by Stephan Talty

July 12th– The Dinner by Herman Koch

August 16th– Against the Grain by Timothy Bohen

September 13th– The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore

Waterfront Scrabble®

Enjoy friendly word competition on Wednesday evenings from 6-8pm

June 5th, July 10th, August 14th, September 11th

The History of Buffalo Graphic Novel Project

Open to children, grades 5 through 12, our program will focus on the role that the

Erie Canal and Buffalo Harbor played in the history of the City.

This program centers on a history lesson, an exploration of the Erie Canal harbor site, and an experiential activity, which will allow students to recreate Buffalo’s rich story through their own eyes, with the creation of a graphic novel.

Participants will each receive a copy of the completed graphic novel at program end.

The program will be held on Tuesday afternoons from 12:30pm-3:30pm

From July 9th through August 27th

Participants are welcome on any or all days!

Literacy New York Buffalo-Niagara, Inc. is a result of the 2012 merger of Literacy Volunteers of Buffalo and Erie County and Literacy Volunteers of Niagara County. It was a collaboration of two strong organizations, joining to further their missions, be more effective and impactful, and attain sustainability. The agency is proud to be the region’s sole provider of free, one-on-one adult literacy services, as well as children’s programs, and provide reading and English language learning to anyone committed to improving their skills.

For more information, please visit www.literacybuffalo.org, www.canalsidebuffalo.com, or call 876-8991.

Literacy New York Buffalo-Niagara is proud to announce the start of its After School Tutoring Program, funded by the Community Foundation of Greater Buffalo. The program runs four days a week, from 3pm until 6pm, at the Frederick Douglass Community Center and the Martha Mitchell Community Center, in Buffalo.

The Community Foundation of Greater Buffalo kindly awarded Literacy New York Buffalo-Niagara grant funding, in the amount of $35,000, to support the program, which employs New York State certified teachers who conduct comprehensive out-of-school activities for at-risk children, grades K-12.

Program teachers pre- and post-test students to determine grade level skills, develop literacy lessons, thematic units, and with peer tutors, provide homework help. In addition, teachers provide tutoring and test preparation for students, using literacy-based computer programs, and guide small group learning sessions based on New York State ELA standards.

Teachers will also encourage individual creativity with arts and crafts activities, all in an effort to build self-confidence in learning environments and social situations, by stressing the importance of educational success and post-secondary goals. Student progress is closely monitored and reported on a weekly basis.

The After School Tutoring Program will establish the necessary foundation to keep students motivated to stay in school and thrive in high school and post-secondary endeavors.

Literacy New York Buffalo-Niagara is proud to partner with the Community Foundation of Greater Buffalo and is grateful for its steadfast support.

For more information about the After School Tutoring Program, please contact Youth Program Manager Brittany Kucala at 876-8991.

Literacy Volunteers of Buffalo and Erie County and Literacy Volunteers of Niagara County are pleased to now function as one strong, united organization, Literacy New York Buffalo-Niagara, Inc. The merger was finalized in July 2012, at which time we proudly became the region’s sole provider of free adult and children’s literacy services.

These services are particularly vital to improving the quality of life in Erie and Niagara Counties, as 30% of residents are functionally illiterate, or read at or below a 5^th grade level. Our programs are conducted in areas of concentrated poverty, with 33% of families living on incomes less than $15,000 per year, and 46% under $20,000 per year. In addition, we serve the growing population of recently relocated refugees and immigrants in the area who may not speak or read English, or who may not have had any formal education in their native countries.

Furthermore, our programs address the various social, economic, and educational issues of our clients. We strive to break the crippling cycle of intergenerational illiteracy and poverty in Western New York, in an effort to combat social ills, improve the local economy and achieve higher education objectives. Simply put, Literacy New York Buffalo-Niagara changes lives, word by word.

Our notable accomplishments directly impact and improve the quality of life in Western New York; a more literate population leads to a more qualified workforce, which, in turn, leads to economic self-sufficiency. Our accomplishments include:

• Cornerstone Manor Program- a literacy tutoring program for women in Buffalo who have sought shelter with their children and are part of a two-year residency recovery program at Cornerstone Manor, a homeless shelter operated by the Buffalo City Mission.
• Madonna House Program- a literacy tutoring program in Niagara County for women who are drug and/or alcohol dependent.
• After School Tutoring programs for school-aged children have more than doubled in size and have expanded into Western New York suburbs.
• Tutoring programs at the East Ferry Youth Detention Facility and the Niagara County Jail

Board of Directors

The Boards of Directors of the Erie and Niagara County chapters were intimately involved in the decision making and merger processes. Both are committed and have merged into one board, as well.

Moving forward, the volunteer Board of Directors of Literacy New York Buffalo-Niagara will be a combination of members from the Erie and Niagara County boards, with two (2) new members representing each county. Board meetings, which are held monthly from September through June, will rotate between our headquarters in downtown Buffalo and our satellite offices in Lockport and Niagara Falls.

The merger, and the formation of a regionally diverse but unified Board of Directors has undoubtedly created a stronger organization, and it will continue to chart the strategic direction of the agency, including a renewed focus on serving the residents of Niagara Falls. To this extent, we have partnered with Family and Children’s Services, and opened an office in their new facility on Main Street in Niagara Falls. The board will also concentrate on leveraging funding opportunities in Niagara County which have not been utilized by the current organization.

Furthermore, the newly formed Board of Directors will explore new opportunities to serve those Western New York residents who are most in need to truly improve the lives of all residents on the Niagara Frontier, including those who have recently been released prisoners, and those in need of math and/or financial literacy skills