The Exchange Club of Springfield, Ohio met on Tuesday January 9th, 2018, at it’s regularly scheduled monthly evening meeting at 6:00 PM at the Benham-Pence Student Center on the campus of Wittenberg University. Our guest speaker was David Smiddy, Director of the Clark County Literacy Coalition.
The Coalition was founded in 1988 after absorbing an adult literacy program created by Edith E. Stager in the 1950’s. At that time, illiteracy among the people of Clark County was very high and Ms. Stager understood the importance and need of having a literacy program available to the people of this community.
Since 2005, the Center has included children in its mission with the belief that the high rate of adult illiteracy in Clark County would lower if people struggling with reading and writing received the extra help they needed at a younger age. In 2007, the Center adopted the Stevenson Program which has been extremely effective in helping children overcome reading difficulties
The Stevenson Program is an alternative approach for teaching reading, spelling and other basic language skills. Stevenson is highly effective with students who have learning problems and provides special advantages to problem-free students as well. The program possesses several unusual qualities, but its strategic use of mnemonics is probably the most important one. “Mnemonics” (pronounced neh-MON-iks) is a term for memory aids.
The Center uses volunteer tutors to work with the clients and the Center would welcome additional volunteers.
Pictured is Exchangite Doris Ross presenting a donation to the Literacy Coalition from the Exchange Club Foundation of Springfield, Ohio in the amount of $250 to David Smiddy. A retired educator, Doris had Mr. Smiddy in a first grade class!