Doylestown, PA (January 30, 2012)  Vita Education Services has received a $1,000 grant from the Brandon W. Boger Memorial Foundation.  The foundation was founded by the William Boger family in memory of their son and brother, Brandon, who died in Feb, 2005, after a ten-month battle to overcome catastrophic injuries sustained in an auto accident that occurred during his senior year at Central Bucks East High School.  The foundation’s mission is to provide charitable assistance to the greater Central Bucks community. 

For the past five years, the Boger family has organized a very successful 5K run/walk in Brandon’s memory.  The run was originally created and organized by one of Brandon’s younger sister, Courtney, for her Central Bucks East High School graduation project and, most recently, organized by his sister, Samantha, for her senior graduation project..  The run is also sponsored by the Doylestown Lions Club, and the friends and family of Brandon, with the cooperation and participation of the Central Bucks East National Honor Society.

“Vita is most grateful to the Boger family for the foundation’s generous contribution.  We are honored to be chosen to receive this gift in honor of Brandon’s “indomitable spirit,” said Linda Wolfson, Vita’s Executive Director.

Founded in 1971, Vita Education Services brings learning to life for over 1,000 Bucks County residents annually in the community and the criminal justice system by providing quality education programs: Basic Literacy, GED Preparation, Family Literacy, English as a Second Language, Decisions for Living and Decisions for Teens.  These services are provided by professional staff and trained volunteers.

Vita is a United Way of Bucks County agency. It is the lead literacy agency inBucksCountyand the largest provider of educational services in the Bucks County Correctional Facilities.  For more information, call 215-345-8322; visit www.vitaeducation.org

For more information on the Brandon W. Boger Memorial Foundation, visit www.BrandonsRun.com

Doylestown, PA (December 13, 2011)  Vita Education Services has received a $30,000 grant from the Mary E. Seibert Kahl Foundation; anonymous fund; Edward M. Story Memorial Fund in memory of his father, Samuel Story, and his mother, Mary Grosvenor; and the Henry Griffith and Anna Griffith Keasbey Fund of The Philadelphia Foundation for general operational support.  Announcement of the grant was made by R. Andrew Swinney, President of the Foundation, whose board of managers approved the grant on November 1, 2011.

In this climate of economic difficulty, we are most grateful for the Foundation’s continuing support.  We are pleased to be recognized by the Foundation as a high performing nonprofit organization,” said Linda Wolfson, Vita’s Executive Director. [Read more...]

Doylestown, PA (October 5, 2011)  Vita Education Services is offering a Decisions for Living (DFL) tutor training course for volunteers interested in working with adults preparing to leave prison.  DFL tutors work with clients in the Bucks County Correctional Facility in Doylestown teaching a logical five-step process that emphasizes self-awareness, personal responsibility, critical thinking, and goal setting.  This unique decision-making process provides clients with tools to help them reintegrate more effectively into the community upon release.

The 15-hour volunteer tutor training will be held in Doylestown on six Wednesday evenings beginning October 26. The training includes learning the DFL process and a tour of the Correctional Facility. No teaching experience is needed to tutor DFL; volunteers must be at least 21 years of age.

To register or for more information visit www.vitaeducation.org or call 215-345-8322.

Vita Education Services is the lead literacy agency in Bucks County and the largest provider of education programs in the Bucks County Correctional Facilities. Since 1971, Vita has been bringing learning to life in the County by providing quality education programs in literacy and decision making.

Vita Education Services announces a new Family Literacy program at Franklin D. Roosevelt Middle School (FDR) in Bristol Township.

Family Literacy is an intensive year round program to assist English as a Second Language parents in gaining the literacy and parenting skills they need to become full partners in the educational development of their young children through family-centered education programming.

Vita has offered Family Literacy classes at Bensalem Head Start  in Bucks County since 2000. Due to the success of this program, Vita was given the opportunity to apply for an expanded State grant to fund the new location in Bristol Township School District.

Eligible parents include those 17 or older with limited English language skills who have children from birth to third grade. Parents can bring their younger children to class with them. The classes are held Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 12 p.m.

 Interested parents are invited to come meet Vita’s Family Literacy teachers and learn more about the program at 10:00 a.m. Tuesday, October 4, or Wednesday, October 5, in Room A-13 at FDR Middle School, 1001 Rodgers Road, Bristol.  For more information, call 215-589-0916.

Doylestown, PA (August 29, 2011) Vita Education Services is offering free Adult Basic Education programs for adults in Bucks County who wish to improve their reading, writing and math skills as well as obtain their GED.  Also offered are free English as a Second Language (ESL) classes for adults for whom English is not a first language who wish to improve English conversation and reading and writing skills.

Reading, writing and math classes; GED preparation classes; and ESL classes are located at the BucksCountyTechnicalHigh Schoolin Fairless Hills, BensalemHigh Schoolin Bensalem, and WilliamTennentHigh Schoolin Warminster.  In addition, reading, writing and math classes and GED preparation classes are located at the PA CareerLink^® inBristol. ESL classes are also located atBucksMeadowYWCAFamilyCenter, the St. Mary Family Resource in Bensalem, and at the Vita Education Services office in Doylestown.

All potential students must attend an orientation/registration session to determine eligibility for Vita’s programs.  Registrations for classes are August 30 – Sept. 21, depending on location.  Visit Registration Schedule  for complete schedule of classes and registration dates. 

 A United Wayagency, Vita Education Services is the lead literacy agency inBucksCountyand the leading provider of educational programs in the Bucks County Correctional Facilities. For more information, call Vita at 215-345-8322

Vita Education Services hosted a gathering of Vita tutors, students and teachers from the Literacy Tutoring and GED programs to recognize and honor volunteer and student achievements during the past academic year.  Over 80 people attended the celebration held at Bensalem Library on August 6. 

Executive Director Linda Wolfson welcomed the crowd and set the theme for the event, which was a celebration of the faces of success.  Attendees included students and their proud parents, siblings, children and friends as well as Vita tutors and teachers.

 Kathy White, Vita’s Tutoring Program Coordinator, recognized Literacy Tutors who volunteer their time to work with students in small groups to help improve their reading writing and math skills and work toward getting their GED. She thanked them for the hours and hours of volunteer time, noting the accomplishments of their students that came as a result of the commitment and hard work of both tutors and students.

 Mercedes Anderson, High School & Literacy Programs Supervisor, then honored the students, paying tribute to their courage, commitment and hard work, noting the many challenges faced by adult learners. Of the over 130 students enrolled in the Literacy and GED programs last year, a record 25 students earned their GED and 55 advanced an educational level or more, which is the equivalent of several grades and quite an accomplishment.

 The crowd applauded their success and joined them for a reception and refreshments, which included a celebratory cake, congratulating students and thanking the volunteer tutors.

Vita Education Services celebrated the “Power of Moms” at its first annual Family Literacy graduation ceremony on Wednesday, June 1^st   at Bensalem Head Start. Seven women graduated from the program, which addresses the literacy needs of all members of the family while promoting parents’ involvement in their children’s education. The Power of Moms theme is in recognition of the research findings that “a mother’s literacy level is the greatest predictor of a child’s success in school.”

Over 100 adults and 50 children were in attendance. Honored guest included families of the Family Literacy students; Hon. Gene DiGirolamo, PA State representative from Bensalem; Marcia Straka, Executive Director of Head Start; and representatives from other Bucks County social service agencies. The program included speeches by two graduating and two former Family Literacy students.

Family Literacy is an intensive year round program to assist English as a Second Language parents in gaining the literacy and parenting skills they need to become full partners in the educational development of their young children through family-centered education programming.

 Vita Education Services has completed a survey of its basic literacy, GED, and English as a Second Language (ESL) students to asses the impact of a grant Vita received from the Comcast Foundation.  In January 2010, the Foundation provided the multi-year grant to Vita to purchase instructional materials for its adult learners.  With this Resources for Results grant, Vita was able to provide a variety of consumable textbooks, workbooks, CDs and    CD-ROMs to help students improve their reading, writing, and math skills, prepare for the GED test, or increase their English language proficiency. For the first time, each of Vita’s 600 students had his or her own learning materials to use and take home for independent study.

 The recent survey indicated students are taking advantage of the opportunity to study and learn independently at home, on the job and in the community.  One hundred percent of ESL students surveyed like the textbooks that they are using to learn English and 86% do homework using their workbooks. Sixty-six percent listen to audio CDs to practice English and 92% of the students are able to read English at home, which includes reading textbooks, newspapers, magazines and reading to their children. Of the 72% ESL students who are currently employed, 69% think Vita’s ESL class is helping them keep their jobs and reported that they speak English at work to their boss, co-workers and customers.

 Statements from students included: “I can now study at home.” “I play the CD in the car to practice listening to English.” “My GED book has lots of exercises to help me.” “I showed my books to my family, and they were proud of the work I was doing.”

“We are grateful to Comcast for its generous contribution,” said Linda Wolfson, Executive Director of Vita. “It enabled us to purchase quality materials to support contextualized instruction, which places emphasis on skill improvement within the context of employment, parent education and citizenship.  And the students are thrilled to be able to use these materials both in and outside the classroom.”