AURORA—The Dominican Literacy Center here has been awarded a $20,000 grant from the Aurora Women’s Empowerment Foundation (AWEF).

 

Sister Kathleen Ryan, center director, said, “We’re so grateful for their grant and we’re looking forward to using the new materials.”

 

Sister Kathleen said this is a new grant being awarded for the first time this year.

 

“We felt like we fit the parameters of the grant,” she said. “You know, I am always surprised and pleased because I do write a lot of grants.” 

 

She applied for this grant to  update the center’s textbook.

 

“Our books are really outdated,” she explained. “They’re from the mid to late 1990s. They have typewriters, not computers.”

 

Because the aims of immigrant women who are learning English often have to do with preparing to seek jobs, the examples in the books are important. The old books had a few non-traditional roles — a woman pilot, for example — the new books include more 21st century options.

 

Another plus in the the new books, she said, is “the illustrations are from National Geographic, so they’re gorgeous books. The old books have cartoons.”

 

The new textbooks have “online options for the students and turors,” she said, “and they teach the way we are accustomed to teaching. Not every book does it, but this (textbook) does it.”

 

The center plans to begin an online tutoring program in September with tutors and students using the old book.

 

The new books will be ordered for use next year. In the meantime, “Some staff will start this year to see how it goes,” Sister Kathleen said. “We’re very excited to have it.”