literacy volunteering

Today was the orientation for the adult literacy volunteer program I've been looking at, Eastern Massachusetts Literacy Council. This organization is federally funded, and provides free one-on-one tutoring services to anyone over eighteen who wants them. Unlike many programs, it does not have any requirements for the students with regard to ethnicity, housing situation, or income.

It went well, and I signed up for the fifteen-hour tutor training program, starting April 4th.

Did you know that there are currently 22,500 adults on waiting lists for basic literacy training services in Massachusetts alone? It's going to take more than just me to fix this problem.

Check out a comprehensive list of programs in the state at:
http://www.sabes.org/resources/hotlinedirectory.pdf

Many of these programs are looking for volunteers. I'm guessing it's a safe bet that ALL of them are looking for donations.

It's easy for us to read these words and use our computers. Not everyone has these advantages. Help someone out today.

[crafty] frogging, frogging, how I love you

bryghtrose alerted me to the fabulous sweater sale at our local Davis Square Goodwill. Any sweater, two-fifty. I bought four - a navy wool (the navy sweater the aforementioned diva gave me didn't work out due to poor yarn quality), a creamy wool that should be great for dying, a bulky wool/acrylic blend that I just really liked the color of (marroon/rust variegated stuff), and *gasp* a sweater to wear. Yes, a sweater that I actually intend to wear on my body rather than ripping into pieces. It is soft blue felted wool and nylon. (I'll admit, I stared at it in confusion for a while before I figured out why it wouldn't be good for frogging.) It is extra-large. Yay, comfy jammy sweater!

I also had excellent luck at Boomerang, earlier in the week. A black cotton/ramie, a pale blue cotton, and a Sooper Secrit Sweater which is going to be turned into a Sooper Secrit Surprise for someone very special.

Finally, ceelove gave me a lovely burgundy sweater for recycling, in cotton-ramie. (That's why I got the black. Stripes babeee!)

I am kind of tempted to go out again, and visit my other planned sweater death destinations - Planet Aid in Harvard Square and Goodwill in Central. I'm going out and spending ten dollars on sweaters instead of a hundred on yarn, and having a lot of yarn left over. Plus, recycling! Winter is ending - in a few weeks or months they probably won't have many sweaters in stock. That makes it easy for me to justify getting even more sweaters. (You're pointing out that I'm already ten sweaters behind? And it takes me a week to frog and process one? Oh, ye of little faith.)

And yes, I have actually started a project using some of my frogged yarn. When it's done, I'll post it up.