Ozarks Literacy Council

ADDRESS

397 East Central Street Springfield, MO 65802

PHONE

417-616-0505

WEBSITE

ozarksliteracy.org

SOCIAL MEDIA

/ozarksliteracycouncil/ /OzarksLiteracy

TOTAL NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES

2

ANNUAL REVENUES $97,991 & $165368

TOP EXECUTIVE

Amy Jardell Executive Director

BOARD OF DIRECTORS CHAIRPERSON:

Dana Mallory President

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Dana Mallory Emily Reese Abigail James-O’Quinn Jennifer Johnmeyer Casey Daughtery Eva Pelkey Jami Dressler Tracy Heartling Reggie Harris Audra Lehman Tony Gunn Jr. Sarah Kerner Zach Troutman Rachel Campbell

Mission Statement

To promote literacy by providing free resources to adults and children in Southwest Missouri.

Service Area

Our mission speaks to all of southwest Missouri, but the majority of those we serve live in Greene and Christian Counties. Technology has afforded OLC the opportunity to serve anyone willing to learn who has access to the Internet. Currently, two OLC students live in Saudi Arabia and can maintain their connection to their volunteer tutor for weekly lessons. Pitt Technologies donated 20 Amazon Fire Tablets available to our students and tutors who may have access but need a device for learning.

Funding

OLC is primarily funded by foundational grants and donations as well as private, sustaining donations from local citizens. Seventy-five percent of our working funds come from major donors: United Way of the Ozarks, The Darr Family Foundation, Stanley and Elaine Ball Foundation, Musgrave Foundation, O’Reilly, Nora Roberts, Bernie, and Pam Burrier, and past/present OLC Board of Directors.

12 Month Goals

OLC is looking forward to the coming year with new community collaboratives and internal organizational goals: • Partner with Williams Elementary School in launching a new Reading Resource Plan, #BookItMustangs, in support of young readers building their home libraries and teachers supporting literacy as a connection to community. • Finalize and implement a virtual tutor training course to build a larger, stronger outreach to new volunteers who want to help others learn to read. • Expand our core volunteer base to build a reserve of trained tutors who are readily available. • Continue to advocate for literacy through the distribution of free books to homes in our community. • Continue to serve all citizens with a willingness and desire to improve their reading with free literacy support.

Annual Events

• Glory Days Virtual Trivia Night fundraiser -

Aug. 31, 2021 • OLC Bee: a spelling bee fundraiser-Spring 2022. • Randy Bacon: Words and Pictures, The Power of

How People and Businesses Can Help

OLC is fortunate to have dedicated donors and community volunteers. As we move into the coming year, businesses and citizens can help OLC and growth in community literacy in the following ways: • Volunteer to teach someone to read. Sign up and start by attending one of the monthly tutor training. • Volunteer to become a monthly classroom reader, sharing literacy and giving away books to children.

Donate a sustaining, monthly donation to support

OLC’s mission to provide free literacy services. A $25 monthly donation supports (at minimum) four tutor sessions each month. • Donate new books, all ages, and reading levels, for

OLC book giveaways. • Advocate for OLC by following us on Facebook,

Twitter, and Instagram and resharing our posts. • Talk to neighbors, church friends, your children’s teachers, your workout group, your colleagues, and any others on your daily path about the Ozarks Literacy Council. Let them know what we do and how we service our community’s growth in literacy. • Be a family and community example: make the value of reading a priority in your own life.

Testimonials

Each month, we ask our volunteers, students, and/or parents to share celebrations. Here are just a few: Chad has improved to the point of asking for extra material. This is such a great thing! He used to hate having to read, and now he wants more. Olive is enjoying her sessions so much she has increased her weekly sessions from 1 hour to 1 and 1/2 hours. In addition, she has finished all of her first workbooks and told me she is “starting to feel smart.” From Donna, an adult student: “Now not only am I an independent reader, but in September of 2020, with God’s help, I moved out of the nursing home into my own apartment. I have enrolled in OTC and am working toward my GED.” From a volunteer: “Being a reading tutor is so rewarding. I knew I wanted to help improve literacy in our community, but I didn’t realize how amazing it would be to see your students learning and changing their lives.”