NLA Info: Update on VALUE and an Appeal for Support

[Archie Willard]

Dear Supporters of Adult Learner Leadership, 

If you recall, in late April a group of nearly 50 adult learners and 
adult education professionals met at the Highlander Center in Tennessee 
to discuss how to create a new national organization for adult 
learners. 

The result was "VALUE," ("Voices for Adult Literacy United for 
Education).  I am now writing to you with an update and a request for 
your help. 

AN UPDATE:

Since our founding meeting, the VALUE board has been busy.  The board is
composed of eleven adult learners from around the country.  Various 
committees have been preparing a set of by-laws, a plan for recruiting 
and serving members, and a brochure.   We are also exploring having 
another national meeting next June, possibly in Indianapolis. 

We have been given a seat on the National Coalition for Literacy.  Some 
board members are participating in a research project with the National 
Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy.   And we recently 
polled board members to get their input on how we might improve how the 
board operates in the months ahead. 

To provide us with the resources to keep the momentum moving, we are 
putting special emphasis on fundraising.  Our fundraising committee has 
been reaching out to funders, to raise funds to cover basic operating 
costs (for telephone, copying, postage, and a part-time administrator).  
We will be working with the nonprofit organization, World Education, to 
help us raise and manage our funds.  (World Education has a long history 
in literacy work in the U.S. and overseas.  With Harvard University, 
World Education operates the National Center for the Study of Adult 
Literacy and Learning.)

So far we have operated on a shoestring budget pulled together from
donations from a small number of corporations (including Time Warner and
the Industrial Coatings Group,) state adult education departments,  
adult education associations and coalitions, and individuals.  We have also
received important in-kind help from the National Institute for Literacy
and U.S. Department of Education and from Literacy Volunteers of America
and Laubach Literacy Action. Many individuals -- both adult learners and 
practitioners -- have donated time to help our committees.

We have been circulating a fundraising proposal to our founding members 
and to past and potential funders.  The proposal is designed to provide 
us with a quick infusion of funding, to cover basic operating costs in 
this start-up period.  (We also hope to generate longer-term grants to 
enable us to carry out a series of learner leadership projects in the 
years ahead.)

Because our small budget is steadily shrinking, it is now vital that we 
generate funds to cover operating expenses.  

A REQUEST

For this reason, I am now writing to ask for your help.

Would you please . . .

(a) provide us with contacts (individuals, foundations, corporations,
unions) which might be willing to make a donation to VALUE?

(b) make a donation to VALUE yourself?

We will welcome donations of any size.  All donations are tax-deductible. 
Upon request, we can mail you a copy of our fundraising proposal.  

We welcome support from both individuals and organizations and from both
the private and public sectors.  (This includes both the federal government 
and state-level agencies.) While direct funding is needed now
for our operating costs, we also welcome volunteer help and in-kind
assistance with special projects like hosting meetings, design and
printing our publications, telephone conference calls, accounting, and so
forth. 

If you want to make a donation or to get more information about how you
can get involved with VALUE, please contact our office at Learning
Partnerships, 14 Griffin Street, East Brunswick, New Jersey 08816-4806,
732-254-2237. 

We know from past experience that it takes a clear vision, a good plan, 
commitment, work, and money to start and sustain a successful 
organization.  We are trying to put all of these ingredients together.  
Your help with the "money" part will be greatly appreciated at this 
critical period in our organization's life. 


Sincerely,

Archie Willard
Chairman, VALUE Board