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.”

Doylestown, PA (April 19, 2011) – Vita Education Services, the lead literacy agency in Bucks County and the largest provider of educational services in the Bucks County Correctional Facility, has been awarded a $5,000 grant in support of educational programs by the Connelly Foundation.  Vita’s programs, which annually serve approximately 1,600 individuals, include Basic Literacy, GED Preparation, Family Literacy, English as a Second Language, Decisions for Living, Jobs Readiness and Decisions for Teens.

The Connelly Foundation’s mission is to foster learning and to enhance the quality of life in the greater Philadelphia region.  “We greatly appreciate the support of the Connelly Foundation in helping Bucks County residents improve their literacy and decision-making skills,” said Linda Wolfson, Vita’s Executive Director.

A United Way agency, Vita Education Services has been bringing learning to life in Bucks County since 1971. For more information, call 215-345-8322 or visit www.VitaEducation.org.

Doylestown, PA (March 29, 2010) – Vita Education Services is introducing its new Decisions suite of programs which includes Decisions for Teens and Decisions for Living.  These new programs are based on years of experience and research in the field of adult and adolescent decision making.  

 Since 1971, Vita has worked with thousands of incarcerated adults within the criminal justice system of Bucks County to deliver its copyrighted Personal Decision Making (PDM) program. Over the past 40 years it has gone through several revisions to make it more relevant and current. The newest revision, Decisions for Living, brings a new name, revised curriculum and a fresh new look. Designed to be easier to learn and easier to teach, Decisions for Living is replacing the PDM program at the Bucks County Correctional Facility.

 In April, Vita is premiering its new Decisions for Living curriculum for current and former tutors. A Decisions for Living Tutor Training for new volunteers will be held starting April 21^st.  Click here for the Tutor Training Registration.

Vita Education Services has received a $20,000 grant from the Joseph and Marion Wesley Family Foundation for support of its programs. 

The Joseph and Marion Wesley Foundation (“Wesley Foundation”) is a Bucks County based organization that believes strongly in the importance of education.  It supports inventive and effective instruction to help individuals with learning challenges to lead productive, satisfying and enriched lives.

“We are most grateful for the Wesley Foundation’s generous contribution and its interest in our programs.  This grant will help people here in Bucks County harness the power of education to improve their literacy and decision-making skills,” said Linda Wolfson, Vita’s Executive Director.

Doylestown, PA  (October 12, 2010) – Vita Education Services has received a $24,000 grant from the Thomas G. Ashworth Memorial Fund, Henry Griffith and Anna Griffith Keasbey Fund and the Jane Ann Krause Trust 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 September 1, 2010.

“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.

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