Felipa Vargas, HHSA Self Sufficiency Resource Specialist, was named the quarterly Literacy Advocate Award recipient today. Brian Lewis, County Librarian, made the presentation to Ms. Vargas on behalf of the Library’s Read to Succeed program. Ms. Vargas was chosen for the honor because she has referred and encouraged her clients to participate in the joint Health and Human Services/Literacy Center literacy project.
The Literacy Advocate Award spotlights HHSA staff members who have referred clients to the HHSA/Literacy Center program. These clients' reading, writing and mathematical skills are limited, making it difficult for them to find and keep employment. The joint venture is aimed at improving these basic skills so that learners are job ready when opportunities arise. The HHSA clients are assessed, then matched with literacy volunteers who provide one-on-one tutoring.
The award was conceived by Patricia Habeck, the Literacy Center Specialist, as a way of thanking and honoring those HHSA staff who encourage their clients to participate in the literacy program. Since the program’s inception, over 200 referrals have been made by counselors from the five TulareWORKS offices in the county.
In addition to Mr. Lewis and Ms. Habeck, Donna Ortiz, TulareWORKS Division Manager; Jackie Whitney, HHSA Visalia Office Unit Manager; Tessa Houston, Employment Services Program Specialist, and Win Doyle, Literacy Office Coordinator for the program, attended the ceremony.
