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ReadWest, Inc. History
Read at November 7, 2009 20th Anniversary Celebration
(Prepared by Yvonne Wise)
ReadWest began as the Westside Literacy Volunteers in 1988 and
was the brainchild of Barbara King, Corrales librarian who
contacted the New Mexico Coalition for Literacy to ask for
assistance in beginning a literacy project to serve Westside
residents. The service area was Taylor Ranch, Paradise Hills,
Corrales, Rio Rancho and Bernalillo.
Melinda Taylor was 23 when she first heard about the new
literacy program at a November 1988 meeting at the Corrales
Library. The new literacy program was housed in the Corrales
Library until 1990 when they moved to the United Way Westside
Service Center in All Saints Lutheran Church. The Coalition
sent a trainer from Taos to train the first 28 tutor
volunteers and help the new coordinator get started.
Seventy tutors and students worked on student goals the first
year.
Structure for the literacy program; free one-to-one tutoring
by volunteers and strict adherence to meeting
student-identified goals, is essentially the same now as it
was in 1989. The Westside program was affiliated with the
national Literacy Volunteers of America which has morphed with
Laubock Literacy into Pro Literacy America. ReadWest is still
a fully accredited member of the national organization.
The first Board of Directors, appointed to set goals and gain
community support for the organization, were: Rudy Grado,
president; Claire Harrison, vice president; Pam McKellar,
secretary; John Jennings, treasurer; Rudolfo Anaya; David
Mathews, Genie Ryan; Tom Swisstack; Jim Tinkcom and Alois
Weber.
Goals set by the first board included increased visibility for
the organization and more interaction with other adult
literacy efforts in New Mexico.
The new board approved the name change to ReadWest and the
Articles of Incorporation for ReadWest, Inc.-LVA were signed
by Melinda Taylor, Alois Weber and James Tinkcom on December
14, 1989 and formally filed with the state of New Mexico.
ReadWest was welcomed to Rio Rancho by Mayor Pro Tem Carl M.
Zander on February 2, 1989.
Melinda’s husband was transferred by Intel soon after that and
the board hired its first salaried director, Jeanette Miller,
with a grant from the Kellogg Foundation in December 1990.
Jeanette served without staff, in donated office space in the
Panorama Plaza on Sara Road, but when a paying customer came
along and displaced the program, Jeanette, with a few
dedicated office volunteers, kept the program alive and
supported 70 tutors and students while operating out of her
own kitchen.
ReadWest moved to new quarters at the Rio Rancho Car Care
Center in August 1992. Mim and Dave Heil and Brian and Pat
Frieder of Car Care Ltd provided the 400 square foot office
space. City Councilor Tony Popper helped bring the owners and
ReadWest together and the Frieders generously paid ReadWest’s
utilities. Mayor Tom Swisstack started the grand opening
ceremonies with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The three year old adult literacy tutoring program was awarded
$7,000 by the New Mexico Coalition for Literacy that year. The
grant was primarily to develop an English as a Second Language
component - in addition to the basic reading improvement
program already in place for students. English as a Second
Language is the largest component program of ReadWest today.
ReadWest was awarded a grant with salary for the first
Volunteer Coordinator in 1995.
Notice to vacate the Car Center came the summer of 1995; again
because a paying customer showed up. ReadWest’s Volunteer
librarians came to the rescue by contacting the Rio Rancho
Jewish Center. Jeanette had taken a position with the Rio
Rancho School District and the Volunteer Coordinator /
Director was relieved a new location was so quickly found.
Mr. Lapidus was the teacher for the Center’s Hebrew School.
When thanked for allowing the literacy program to share space
with the children, he said, “You do good work and we should
have you here.”
Board Member Roger McNiel, director of the Rio Rancho
Community Corrections Center, arranged for some of his
rehabilitated prisoners to move ReadWest to the Jewish Center
on March 16, 1996.
This was entirely fitting help since 75% of incarcerated
individuals can not read well enough to fill out a job
application.
ReadWest has grown from a single room to a full Literacy
Center with 6 class rooms for student and tutor meetings, a
tutor training site and a large space for student group
classes. ReadWest owes tremendous gratitude to the Rio Rancho
Jewish Center for believing in our “good work” and for
providing this comfortable, inviting place where adult
students can find help with their debilitating low literacy
needs.
The non-profit budget for 2009-10 is $93,000, a far cry from
the $7,000 in 1992. Today ReadWest trains and supports 186
volunteer tutors who help more than 300 students – still with
two extraordinary part-time staff, Will Steinsiek and Muncie
Hansen, a working Board and wonderful office volunteers.
ReadWest is the longest, continuously operating adult literacy
organization in the greater Albuquerque area. We attribute
this to the quality and dedication of the staff and to the
dedicated volunteers who provide thousands of hours of service
each year. The value of this service to the community is
enormous, but the value to individuals is life changing.
Literacy is generational – passed on from generation to
generation – so, the value to future generations is
immeasurable.
ReadWest Directors who followed Melinda and who have
contributed so much to the growth and success of our
award-winning organization:
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