Susquehanna Bank representatives Hallie Niklaus, VP (left) and Alfreda Baer (Branch Manager) present a check to Linda Herr, The Learning Center and Barbara McGary, Library System Administrator.
The Learning Center is excited to announce a new partnership with Susquehanna Bank which will help to continue volunteer tutoring services to adults in Lycoming County through their $5000 contribution.
Many times there are barriers and challenges that prevent individuals from accomplishing the very things most of us take for granted: reading, writing and performing simple math operations. Today many adults are finding out that their skills are not a match with the needs of workplace, and they cannot obtain jobs with the skills they currently have. Data shows that roughly 25% of the adults in the county do not have a high school diploma or a GED.
In efforts to promote literacy, The Learning Center gives adults the opportunities to acquire skills to be effective in their roles as members of their families, communities and workplaces. The mission is to change lives through literacy, learning and libraries. The mission of TLC correlates directly to the development of educational and personal goals to change lives within the family unit when parents can be actively involved in their child’s educational development; in the community where navigation of daily life is made easier through educational growth and learning is recognized as life-long; and by equipping students with the marketable skills for employment.
State funding for small volunteer, community and library based literacy programs like ours is no longer available. The need for continued tutoring services in Lycoming County is critical. With the loss of state funding in July of 2011, local foundations, private donors, and the United Way provided a way to continue services. Since re-opening in October, the Learning Center has provided adult education and literacy services to 156 adults. Of those, 28 have achieved their GED. The Learning Center is a United Way Partner Agency and a service of the Lycoming County Library System.
We welcome this new partnership with Susquehanna Bank which will help to continue one-on-one tutoring services in reading, writing, and math to attain those skills necessary for employment or eventual transition to post-secondary education. A key element with this partnership is an emphasis on financial literacy. As our world becomes more complex, so does the need to understand personal finances and financial management. The program is designed to develop the critical skills needed to increase economic self-sufficiency in their daily lives to make sound decisions for themselves and their family members. Instruction includes, among other topics: banking, acquiring credit, understanding your paycheck, lending and a wide array of financial literacy skills needed to plan for a sound financial future.
For those who are looking for a volunteer opportunity to really make a difference in someone’s life, please consider becoming a volunteer tutor. The next tutor development workshop will be held on Thursday, September 20 from 5 – 7:30 pm and Saturday, September 22 from 9 – 1 in the Welch Wing, 3rd floor classroom. Prospective tutors must attend both sessions. For more information or to register for the workshop, please call 326-0536 ext. 159 or ext. 151.
About Susquehanna Bank
Susquehanna Bank provides banking and financial services at 261 branch locations in the mid-Atlantic region. It is a subsidiary of Susquehanna Bancshares, Inc., a financial services holding company with assets of $18 billion and 3,400 employees. Through Susquehanna Wealth Management, the holding company offers investment, fiduciary, brokerage, insurance, retirement planning, and private banking services, with approximately $7.5 billion in assets under management and administration. Susquehanna also operates an insurance brokerage and employee benefits company, a commercial finance company and a vehicle leasing company. For more information, please visit www.susquehanna.net
