%PDF-1.7 1 0 obj << /Type /Catalog /Outlines 2 0 R /Pages 3 0 R >> endobj 2 0 obj << /Type /Outlines /Count 0 >> endobj 3 0 obj << /Type /Pages /Kids [6 0 R 20 0 R ] /Count 2 /Resources << /ProcSet 4 0 R /Font << /F1 8 0 R /F2 9 0 R /F3 10 0 R /F4 11 0 R /F5 12 0 R /F6 14 0 R /F7 22 0 R >> /ExtGState << /GS1 15 0 R /GS2 16 0 R /GS3 17 0 R /GS4 18 0 R >> >> /MediaBox [0.000 0.000 612.000 792.000] >> endobj 4 0 obj [/PDF /Text ] endobj 5 0 obj << /Producer (dompdf 3.1.0 + CPDF) /CreationDate (D:20250921104015+00'00') /ModDate (D:20250921104015+00'00') >> endobj 6 0 obj << /Type /Page /MediaBox [0.000 0.000 612.000 792.000] /Parent 3 0 R /Contents 7 0 R >> endobj 7 0 obj << /Filter /FlateDecode /Length 1903 >> stream xX]6}շ,& l@@K\ITI]4g(+]A+Jg93" 0_S/R($[ѶSVAH=ѿyUFiDyߴ}Go_QYF( 2%WҪGw'&f>0RU2D*]KU=O#H;;.0Or-VW0QjhwhGU`D{6,ܶ6K$`% H/R2VhYPTؽl%K@'bCQ'BG56$*xϑrY J7̍_Ę)ȈjD F`(Em4RcF P'0 U#}4J@46ZZC McA)ۚ2m`y+~KSdXP}4#iɿN$eXV*@HCkx VA(1Q),Z"\v)G^[ xXO[Hw 5[wx#s Zy&YTOT&y\绽2#&yQ!+'|G#7Dbu/ύ4bƾ̯AQv(xּhr$G(R 戈\jf?-{XTKS,ZQ{DdN* _c^WaIռ2lpx3]4|-s=b*NE=xG$*75'%pѭ.Y5~@I;_bo߈@8w_Ҧ9=Y8E*:"‡Qm=cTh0U%0r; L0s$ @0ck6{M Km!TqTf9=,ǹ+: %axzW\}?s9r$"2\a@`pL;Hk.d*q_Y+ۗ=?d킜&Q1q;`F`JF("aTǑ vr/e X~zVӇ~fG\pλ?4FI`"t3e1]q}'F]QR+ٟzS^wou;fN7y~3tvLM}% sz8[ EQɚpi>%=$W l}~?0 endstream endobj 8 0 obj << /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /Name /F1 /BaseFont /Helvetica /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding >> endobj 9 0 obj << /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /Name /F2 /BaseFont /Times-Bold /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding >> endobj 10 0 obj << /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /Name /F3 /BaseFont /Times-Roman /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding >> endobj 11 0 obj << /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /Name /F4 /BaseFont /Helvetica-Bold /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding >> endobj 12 0 obj << /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /Name /F5 /BaseFont /Helvetica-Oblique /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding >> endobj 13 0 obj [6 0 R /Fit] endobj 14 0 obj << /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /Name /F6 /BaseFont /Times-Roman /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding >> endobj 15 0 obj << /Type /ExtGState /BM /Normal /CA 1 >> endobj 16 0 obj << /Type /ExtGState /BM /Normal /ca 1 >> endobj 17 0 obj << /Type /ExtGState /BM /Normal /CA 0.3 >> endobj 18 0 obj << /Type /ExtGState /BM /Normal /ca 0.3 >> endobj 19 0 obj [6 0 R /Fit] endobj 20 0 obj << /Type /Page /MediaBox [0.000 0.000 612.000 792.000] /Parent 3 0 R /Annots [ 23 0 R ] /Contents 21 0 R >> endobj 21 0 obj << /Filter /FlateDecode /Length 462 >> stream x}Mo0 ܭVYTl:ˡ4Gu4ؖ+++_?:I]Ksm>|IQ|J#ٰSB)S)_dB 5_HP<_tu>v:-4}`][RLBD0q\8rހ$$Uٜ{ 6ԝc#Ug (,oa1_?7cx 45|3zç~q0B\f'FMۼsj윐hp ɨzۿ^,q: [x:b{D R{km\k p Y\ 2k$p9#DGgm[a*"v;TNB/s#fV˅+7%$,!GIA g2;ŽCڽpʱ"1qQat endstream endobj 22 0 obj << /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /Name /F7 /BaseFont /Helvetica-BoldOblique /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding >> endobj 23 0 obj << /Type /Annot /Subtype /Link /F 28 /A 24 0 R /Border [0 0 0] /H /I /Rect [ 67.0040 666.6434 295.8920 678.8534 ] >> endobj 24 0 obj << /Type /Action /S /URI /URI (mailto:Sherry.McWhorter@usw.salvationarmy.org) >> endobj xref 0 25 0000000000 65535 f 0000000009 00000 n 0000000074 00000 n 0000000120 00000 n 0000000412 00000 n 0000000441 00000 n 0000000590 00000 n 0000000693 00000 n 0000002669 00000 n 0000002776 00000 n 0000002884 00000 n 0000002994 00000 n 0000003107 00000 n 0000003223 00000 n 0000003252 00000 n 0000003362 00000 n 0000003419 00000 n 0000003476 00000 n 0000003535 00000 n 0000003594 00000 n 0000003623 00000 n 0000003747 00000 n 0000004282 00000 n 0000004402 00000 n 0000004535 00000 n trailer << /Size 25 /Root 1 0 R /Info 5 0 R /ID[<9d2b72b2a75888df9590b3794c36dc27><9d2b72b2a75888df9590b3794c36dc27>] >> startxref 4632 %%EOF Mission: Literacy | Caring Magazine
Read Caring Magazine Volume 29

Vol. #29

Hope in Action

Read Issue

Latest Impact StoriesView All

Popular Topics

PopularView All

Mission: Literacy

May 8, 2009
2 minute read
Total
0
Shares
0
0
0
Listen to this article

Salvation Army and American Bible Society attack illiteracy.

by Sherry McWhorter, Major –

Did you know that low-income children average 2.5 grade levels behind in reading by the end of fifth grade? That means that many of the kids that The Salvation Army sees daily are struggling in school. Consequently, these young people have a high likelihood of dropping out in high school, not to mention becoming involved in gangs and anti-social behaviors. They will go on to raise families in poverty, just as they are now. The Salvation Army is doing something to interrupt this cycle.

Enter Mission: Literacy. This program—designed by the American Bible Society—provides instruction that improves children’s reading skills while they discover God’s Word. This multicultural program uses Bible stories designed for struggling readers. Originally aimed at elementary school students, the program works well with adults who lack basic reading skills and is also effective in teaching English as a second language. Outcome measures show that 89 percent of students show improvement in reading skills, school grades and behavior.

The American Bible Society presented Mission: Literacy to The Salvation Army’s New Jersey Division in order to “get it to the streets.” Already implemented in sites in the Eastern Territory, Mission: Literacy is making its debut in the West. For the first time, a territory as a whole is initiating a widespread attack on one of the basic causes of poverty in America—the inability to read.

Recently, 14 corps in the Southwest Division gathered in Phoenix, Ariz., for initial training, led by Dawn Sharp, divisional child care and literacy consultant for the New Jersey Division. The workshop attendees will now implement the program locally. While Southwest is leading the charge in this territory, interested corps in other divisions are also signing up.

The expenses are minimal. Readers, games and other materials are supplied to corps for the price of shipping—no purchase costs. Sites do simple pre-tests to identify children in need and then work with the kids in small groups, reporting progress to the American Bible Society. Mission: Literacy provides a like between after-school programs and Silvercrest residents or corps members. The students (children and adults) learn to read and get to know Christ at the same time. What better way for people to participate in ministry in action!

To learn more about Mission: Literacy, contact Major Sherry McWhorter at Territorial Headquarters: email Sherry.McWhorter@usw.salvationarmy.org or phone (562) 491-8326.

Download this page as a PDF

You May Also Like