H.O.P.E. partners with Clarksville-Montgomery County Adult Literacy Council to provide new computer lab

January 6, 2011 |

Clarksville, TN – The Hispanic Organization for Progress & Education (H.O.P.E.) opened a new computer lab at their office at 410 Church Street in Clarksville, TN today. The computer lab is a partnership between H.O.P.E. and the Clarksville-Montgomery County Adult Literacy Council. The lab consists of a total of eight laptop computers which purchased with the aid of a grant given by the Dollar General Literacy Foundation to the Adult Literacy Council.

Velma Jo Williams, the Executive Director of the Clarksville-Montgomery County Adult Literacy Council said “For Several years we have been instrumental in certifying H.O.P.E.’s volunteers for tutoring. So when we received a $3,000 grant from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation. So we made the decision to use the funding to purchase laptop computers to provide for a computer lab at the H.O.P.E. offices.”

The computers in the lab were already being put to good use on the first day

H.O.P.E.’s Director Pastor Tommy Vallejos was ecstatic when talking about the opportunities that the new computer lab brings to H.O.P.E. and its clientèle. “The Computer lab will enable us to help those in the community who may not have a computer in their homes. Now they will be able come to H.O.P.E. and use these computers create resumes, fill out job applications, take classes, gain access to helpful information that will make their lives better. Those computers have a vast amount of potential. We don’t want them to collect dust we want people to come to us with their ideas on ways for us to put these computers to good use. I want to thank the Dollar General Literacy Foundation for their donation to the Adult Literacy Council, and thank the Council for selecting H.O.P.E. to be their partner in  helping the community ”

According to Valerie Guzman the office manager for H.O.P.E. plans are already in place to use the computers to offer various classes including Basic Computer training, Languages and Phonics classes, Reading, Writing, Grammar, Citizenship Preparation, and civics.”We want to make sure that everyone has the ability to get online. We want to give people tools they need to be successful in the information age,” she said.

The computers are available for public use at the H.O.P.E offices at 410 Church Street on Monday, Wednesday, & Friday from 10:00am – 12:00pm. The computers will be reserved for classes from 12:00pm – 2:00pm, however depending on need may still be available for use.

About the Hispanic Organization for Progress & Education

H.O.P.E., the Hispanic Organization for Progress and Education, was founded in 2002 by Juan Julian Vazquez, who is honorably remembered for all his contribution to the hispanic community. H.O.P.E. continues to keep his dreams a reality with the mission of promoting the advancement of Clarksville’s growing Hispanic population through education and assistance in such areas as English language learning, health and wellness and civic participation.

Our goal of civic literacy enables Hispanic families to become informed, engaged citizens who can contribute to the greater good of the community and take an active part in its progress in the years to come. H.O.P.E. is also proud to recognize and celebrate the contributions that Hispanic culture and heritage make to our state.

About the Clarksville-Montgomery County Adult Literacy Council

The Clarksville-Montgomery County Adult Literacy Council was established in 1985 to promote public awareness of the need for literacy education in the area.

The Adult Literacy Council recruits and trains tutors interested in teaching adults with low reading and computation skills or students who have a need to learn English as a second language. The Adult Literacy Council works in cooperation with other literacy projects and seeks to obtain and allocate funds for local literacy programs. A major function of Adult Literacy Council is to support the Adult Education Program by providing free one-on-one tutoring for Adult Education students who need special assistance.

The Literacy Council has two part time employees: the director (Velma Jo Williams) and the office assistant (Carol Davis). The office is open from 8 to 4 Monday through Friday.

“We appreciate the generous support of the United Way of Middle Tennessee, and its executive director Becky Moore.” said Williams.

About the Dollar General Literacy Foundation

Dollar General’s commitment to literacy is an integral part of the company’s culture. In fact, Dollar General’s co-founder, J. L. Turner, was functionally illiterate when he started the company.

Dollar General believes learning to read, receiving your GED or learning the English language is an investment that opens doorways for personal, professional and economic growth. That is why our commitment to literacy remains strong. It is the one gift that no one can take away—the one gift that lasts a lifetime.

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