Welcome to Indy Reads!
How Can You Help?
FIRST:
Watch our NEW info video on YouTube!
SECOND:
Come to a Volunteer Orientation!
THIRD:
Make a Donation!
FOURTH:
Come to our Alphabet Affair!
Indy Reads provides FREE tutoring for functionally illiterate adults in Central Indiana.
Can you read our billboard?
If you can read our billboard, then you can be a volunteer!
Want to read what our students are writing?
Read our Fall 2009 Student to Student newsletter.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ON VOLUNTEERING
Project G.O.A.L (Get Out And Learn) has begun! With this program we are extending our community-wide Literacy Lab outreach program for at-risk adults to the inmates of Marion County Jail#2 in the first of its kind Jail Literacy program in Marion County. The Lab at the jail will be staffed by trained volunteer Jail Literacy Specialists, and be open for small group tutoring sessions. Inmates will have the opportunity to improve their reading skills while addressing real life-skill isues, including learning how to open a checking account, being an employee, filling out applications, choosing an apartment, and dealing with illness. Lessons are tied to real-life scenarios that have a practical component after they are released. The Lab at Jail #2 will also function as the entry point in literacy instruction for jailed individuals, with Indy Reads other neighborhood Literacy Labs being available for follow-up upon their release. Jail #2 is managed by the Corrections Corporation of America, the nation's industry leader of partnership corrections solutions for federal, state, and local government, with oversight from the Marion County Sheriff's Office.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ON VOLUNTEERING
The Problem: Adult Illiteracy is an educational, health, economic, and family issue. The National Assessment of Adult Literacy estimates that 100,000 adults in Marion County are functionally illiterate. They can’t fill out a job application, read a prescription, take a driver’s test, or check their child’s homework. Illiteracy impacts the individual, and the family: it is difficult to work, and near impossible to be self-sufficient. Illiteracy is linked to poverty, criminal activity, poor health and early death. A parent’s literacy level accurately predicts a child’s future academic and economic success. Reading for pleasure isn't even an option if you're illiterate. This is about reading for survival.
One time I got on a bus and thought I was getting on the right one and I went all the way to the fairgrounds. I didn't know how to get home so I walked. I didn't get home until about 8:00 p.m. and my wife was scared!
- Indy Reads' Student
The Solution: Indy Reads is the only organization in Central Indiana accredited by ProLiteracy Worldwide providing free basic adult literacy tutoring to adults who read at or below the sixth grade level. Utilizing trained volunteers we will work with over 700 adult students this year, helping them to become self-sufficient. Volunteer training is the foundation of our organization. Volunteers complete 15-20 hours of instruction from our professional trainers before they are matched with a student from our waiting list.
Indy Reads is dedicated to eliminating illiteracy in Marion County. We believe that everyone should have an opportunity to learn to read. Since 1984, we have been helping to open doors for adults through literacy.
PLEASE consider a donation to Indy Reads.
We participate in
Making Indianapolis 100% Literate
Click here for information about the
Community Literacy Summits!
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ON VOLUNTEERING
Read our Fall 2009 Student to Student newsletter
We welcome your involvement and support as a volunteer, donor, or by encouraging a low level reader to give us a call. To find out how you can make a difference in someone's life, call us at 317-275-4040. And now you can visit our Twitter, MySpace, Facebook, and Indy.com pages to connect with other friends of Indy Reads.
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Meet Indy Reads student Joe Cooper!
On March 17th, 2008 Joe won the Human Achievement Award at the Center for Leadership Development's 28th Annual Minority Business & Professional Achievers Recognition Awards Dinner. Joe was honored for turning his life around, and with the help of his tutor Sue Smith, to share his life story with others through his book, "Day Dreamer to Dream Catcher." Joe is pictured here with his wife, Melody.
Then, on March 24th, 2008 Joe was honored by the Indianapolis City County Council with an official proclamation sponsored by Councillor Jackie Nytes.
Joe was also honored last year at Indy Reads' Alphabet Affair: Watch a video about student Joe Cooper
On August 16th, 2008, Joe's book was awarded the "State Librarian's Award for Excellence in Nontraditional Literature."