February’s Literacy Leader:  Karen Moore

Literacy volunteers come from all walks of life, and this month’s literacy leader is no exception. After retiring in 2010, Karen Moore wanted to venture into the field of literacy, and she eventually found her way to MORE Multicultural School for Empowerment in St. Paul. During her two days per week there, she teaches one class and assists another, taught by Jan Olsen Stone.

Karen’s classes focus on math, but she integrates many other skills into her teaching as well. “I generally incorporate some conversation into each lesson,” says Karen, “whether reading math problems aloud, discussing their activities, or practicing introductions.” The class will also discuss topics relevant to their new experiences in Minnesota, such as comparing the seasons here with those of their home countries and using items such as calendars and weather maps.

One of the highlights of Karen’s work with MORE is the opportunity to work with her students. “They are hard-working, appreciative, and eager to learn,” says Karen, and she admires them for their resilience in coming to live in a new culture and country. Most of her students are Karen or Hmong refugees and arrived in Minnesota after spending time in refugee camps. “The students are very inspiring when one considers all they have been through,” she adds.

Jan Olsen Stone, the MORE teacher Karen volunteers with, has only praise for Karen. “Karen is enthusiastic about our learners,” Jan says. “[She] has become an indispensable member of our teaching team.” Students appreciate the time and effort Karen puts into her classes while Jan appreciates Karen’s flexibility to flow as needed between initiating her own lesson and topics or in working with the lesson provided. Jan is also grateful for the ten hours a week Karen shares with the learners!

In addition to volunteering with MORE, Karen plans to continue her exploration into the field of literacy by obtaining a certificate in adult ESL from Hamline University in the near future. Although she was not involved in literacy for many years, Karen is happy she took the opportunity to volunteer now. “I am certainly relishing the experience now and plan to be involved as long as I’m able,” she says. As someone who has discovered a passion for teaching and wants to make the most of it, Karen is certainly worthy of the title of Literacy Leader.

Here’s how it will work.  Anytime between 12:00 a.m. and 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, November 16th, 2011, you can make an online donation to MORE at our GiveMN.org webpage.  Last year, more than 42,000 donors logged on to GiveMN.org and gave over $10 million to Minnesota charities in 24 hours during Give to the Max Day.   MORE is very excited to be participating this year.  Throughout the day, we will be sending email updates letting our supporters know how much we’ve raised towards meeting our challenge.

Another exciting part of participating in Give to the Max Day is that throughout the day MORE has an opportunity to win a GOLDEN TICKET because of your donation.  $1,000 will be given to a random donor’s charity every hour.  You could be that donor!   TIP:  For you night owls, your chances are much higher of winning a golden ticket during a time of the day when there are less donations taking place.

Here is the link to MORE’s GiveMN.org page http://givemn.razoo.com/story/Mcdonough-Organization-With-Respect-And-Equality-For-People.  Please consider sharing this special opportunity with your family and friends.  The more people we let know of this opportunity, the higher our chances of meeting our goal of at least $1000.  Together, we can do it!

• The School Sisters of Notre Dame, a Catholic congregation of religious women and supporters of MORE since its inception, reconfigured with other provinces in Dallas, Milwaukee, and St. Louis to become the new Central Pacific Province.  Best wishes to all of you!
• MinnPost.com featured MORE in an article highlighting immigrant and refugee perceptions of the state government shut down.  Click here to view the article.
• Haddas, a former student at MORE, graduated from the Roseville Adult Learning Center with a high school diploma.  We’re so proud of you, Haddas!

Sister Denay and Haddas at Haddas' graduation

• Sister Denay Ulrich, a teacher at MORE, celebrated her golden jubilee—50th anniversary as a School Sister of Notre Dame.  Congratulations, Denay!
• Denay also spent several weeks in Japan this summer!
• Sister Stephanie Spandl, Social Services Manager, took a month long trip to Kenya.  We’re looking forward to hearing about her adventures in Africa!
• MORE volunteer tutor Emrys Current won a Midwest Book Award for her children’s picture book, Looking for Lucy.  Well done, Emrys!

• Sarah Baker, one of MORE’s teachers, completed her thesis and Master’s of Arts in English as a Second Language at Hamline University.  Way to go, Sarah!
• And finally, congratulations to MORE Director, Cathy and her new husband, Nick Rucci who exchanged wedding vows on Sunday, August 14th at Phalen Lake.

Mahatma Ghandi said, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”  Although spoken years ago, those words bring truth to my experience at MORE School. Through the eleven months I have had the privilege to teach here, I have found my place in the MORE community and with my students.

One way in which this has happened is that this summer, I had the benefit of having a smaller class, making it easier to take trips with my students. These outings have included visiting the library and the Minnesota Zoo, museum visits to the Minnesota History Center and Foshay Tower in downtown Minneapolis, as well as service-related trips that consisted of picking up trash around the neighborhood.

Visiting the Foshay Tower in downtown Minneapolis - Sa Ka Paw Htoo, Xee Xiong, and Teacher Michelle

At the library, we did a three-week unit on book reports, the Internet, and using library resources. Since then, one of my students, Sa Ka Paw Htoo, is now using the library on his own every Saturday. He has even purchased his own laptop to do Internet researching and practice typing. 

As a teacher, one of the best rewards is to see your students becoming more of the people they want to be and reaching their goals. I am very proud of all of my students and I am extremely honored to be a part of their journeys here in Minnesota. Although they thank me every day for teaching them, I remind them they have given me much to meditate on and be thankful for.  A quote from St. Francis of Assissi sums up my experience with them, “For it is in giving that we receive.”  

Michelle can be contacted at mjacobson85@gmail.com.

Please join us this Thursday, September 22nd for MORE’s Fall Open House.  Stop in anytime from 4-7 p.m. to meet MORE’s new director, Cathy Rucci, as well as other staff, board members, volunteers, donors, and participants.  Some of the other special guests scheduled to attend include Sister Kathleen Spencer, Ramsey County Commissioner Janice Rettman, and from St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman’s office, Allison Berth.

Enjoy light refreshments while having a look around MORE and learning about our programs and services.

At 5:30 p.m., a special program will take place that will include:

• a tribute to the MORE founders and the School Sisters of Notre Dame
• the presentation of MORE’s very first “Sister Kathleen Spencer Volunteer of the Year Award”

Please call us at 651-487-2728 with any questions or email at crucci@more-empowerment.org.  See you soon!

Have you ever heard the saying ‘it fits like a glove’? That is how I feel the joining of the values and culture at MORE and my leadership style are together. My first 90 days as the new director of MORE have been exhilarating, moving, and amazing. I have been brought to tears by some of the stories of our participants, felt joy at many times like when I heard the Karen Elders groups singing their traditional songs, and experienced much laughter as I get to know the staff and volunteers. As you all probably already know, the MORE family is a very special group of people.

These first three months have flown by and I feel that much has been accomplished during that time. In this time, I have had individual meetings with each staff member and most board members. I’ve also gotten together with several community partners, donors and a few volunteers. I had an especially meaningful experience when I met Sister Kathleen Spencer, the founder of MORE, for the first time. To muse another cliché, we were like two peas in a pod. In all of these meetings I’ve learned of the passion for serving others that reverberates through all people involved with MORE and it began with Sister Kathleen. I feel privileged to be associated with this organization.

The future of MORE looks very bright. Some of the physical happenings to brighten the organization include an all staff and student cleaning day where we took a morning with the students to clean the building inside and out. Some staff continued de-cluttering throughout the afternoon. Also, at the time of composing this article, the entire inside of MORE is being painted and carpet cleaning is scheduled for the end of August. To brighten up the administrative side of the organization, in July the MORE board devoted an entire Saturday to learning about governance and their responsibilities to the organization and putting together a plan for strategic planning. Throughout the rest of this summer and fall, the board will be working to enhance their oversight of the organization and early in 2012, they plan to, with input from staff and other important stakeholders, begin the strategic planning process and plan for the future of MORE. I look forward to supporting all involved in the organization as we move forward.

Finally, I want to take this opportunity to thank you. Whether you’ve supported MORE financially with donations, with your time as a staff person or volunteer or board member, if you’ve donated goods to mus or simply been interested in what’s happening at the organization, thank you for helping provide the resources and energy needed to sustain this organization. We wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you and I sincerely appreciate everything you do.

MORE’s Fall Open House
Thursday, September 22nd, 2011
4 – 7 p.m.

Save the date for this great event.

Activities include:

• Meet and greet with MORE’s new director as well as with other staff, board members, volunteers, donors, and participants
• Enjoy refreshments and have a look around at MORE to learn more about all of our programs and services
• Tribute to the MORE founders as well as the School Sisters of Notre Dame for their support over the years
• Presentation of MORE’s very first ‘Sister Kathleen Spencer Volunteer of the Year Award’

Please join us for this special event and feel free to invite other friends, family and colleagues that may
be interested in the mission of MORE.

See you there!

The two students, a married couple, discussed in their journal submissions their previous life in Haiti where the husband was an accountant and the wife operated a small grocery store. They wrote about the pain they felt being away from their two daughters, ages 5 and 6, and how much they wished their daughters could join them here in Minnesota. Denay could read the pain in their words and that’s what prompted her to bring the couple to Stephanie. The couple agreed to meet with Stephanie and she found out more about their lives.

She discovered what had brought them to Minnesota. Having already been physically attacked and learning that their lives were again in danger because of their political affiliation the couple had to flee Haiti abruptly. They would not able to get visas for their daughters quickly enough. These parents were forced to make the choice between saving their lives and fleeing to the United States while leaving their daughters behind with other family members or remain in Haiti where the chances of being physically harmed or even killed were very likely thereby leaving their daughters without one or both of their parents. They chose to leave Haiti without their daughters with the hope that they will be able to receive political asylum in America and send for the two young girls.

The process to apply for and receive political asylum in the United States is long and difficult. While the couple is in the midst of the application process, they are not eligible for any sort of public benefits like cash or food assistance. They also are not entitled to work legally in the U.S. for ten months after applying for asylum. The couple found themelves in a very difficult situation when the friends they had been staying with moved into public housing and were no longer able to offer the couple a place to stay or help with basic necessities. Stephanie was able to secure housing for the couple and with permission from MORE’s board, the organization is providing financial assistance for housing, food and other necessities while the couple waits to be authorized to work in the U.S. or receives asylum, whichever comes first. Without this assistance from MORE, the couple would most likely be forced to return to Haiti and be in danger of losing their lives.

While their asylum case is still in process, they continue to work hard at their studies at MORE to improve their English skills in preparation for the lives they wish to have here in Minnesota. Hopefully that life will soon include their young daughters and safety and security for the entire family.

(This story has been shared with permission of the individuals involved.)

Deposit used tennis shoes in the container at MORE outside the garage between April 18th and May 31st.

Call the MORE office at 651-487-2728 with questions regarding this unique fundraising opportunity.