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ABOUT USREAD Saskatoon is a volunteer literacy organization that provides free literacy services to individuals, families, workplaces and the community. Our literacy programs are delivered by trained staff and volunteers. Our vision is to help support a community that values literacy.
We are proud members of Volunteer Saskatoon, the Saskatoon Labour Market Committee, and the Saskatoon Literacy Coalition. READ Saskatoon is a registered charity and non-profit organization and we are always in need of donations, whether they be cash or in-kind. We provide tax receipts for cash donations and gratefully acknowledge donations of other materials. Please contact us for more information on how you can donate to READ Saskatoon. Our Staff
Our History In 30 years… A brief history of READ Saskatoon  READ Saskatoon 1981 Board of Directors. Left to right: Vera Mitchell, Joe Brule and Ruth Thomson Once upon a time in 1976, the Government of Canada withdrew active support for Adult Basic Education programs. In Saskatoon a steering committee was created to examine possible solutions to “illiteracy”. By the end of 1979, READ Saskatoon formally adopted their name and established their objectives and the one-to-one tutoring program. In April 1982, a learner representative was added to READ Saskatoon’s board of directors to help address some of the issues that adult literacy learners faced. For the first five years of its existence, READ Saskatoon survived on funding from community college grants. In 1982, the projected budget was $2,593. READ Saskatoon’s board began to plan for the future and hired the first Tutor–Learner Coordinator in 1984. In 1986, the Tutor-Learner Coordinator’s working hours were increased to 25 hours per week. The job description included managing phone calls, meeting prospective learners, checking in with learners and tutors to assess their progress, keeping records, representing READ Saskatoon at meetings in the community and suggesting representatives for the READ Saskatoon board of directors.  Dolores Jones Tutor-Student Coordinator 1982 - 1983 That same year, changes in provincial policy meant that the Saskatoon Regional Community College (now SIAST) could no longer contract READ Saskatoon’s tutoring services for adult learners. READ Saskatoon needed to diversify its funding base. In 1987, the agency received its first grant: $500 from Labatt's Brewery. By 1988, when the Government of Canada created the National Literacy Secretariat, READ Saskatoon’s programming had begun to broaden. For two years we delivered programming at the Regional Psychiatric Centre. We began to see the benefits of an inner-city adult classroom at the Friendship Inn. In 1992, the Government of Saskatchewan announced a review of all program funding. READ Saskatoon's budget was reduced by fifteen percent. The immediate result of this budget cut was to reduce staff to eighty percent of full-time for ten months of the year. READ Saskatoon’s first recorded “Strategic Planning Day” was held in January 1992. Board minutes from that meeting mention Family Literacy for the first time in our history. By 1992, READ Saskatoon was responsible for a wide range of projects and programs. One included an Aboriginal book project, Grandmothers Project, with the Older Native Women’s Health Project. Unfortunately, inaccurate translation of the stories into syllabics meant that READ Saskatoon engaged in a lengthy legal challenge to recoup translator costs and to reprint an accurately translated book. In 1992, READ Saskatoon and Saskatoon Public Library created a Cooperative Agreement. The READ board of directors could no longer manage the daily operations of READ Saskatoon and named Sylvia Vicq Administrative Director.  Sylvia Vicq Student - Tutor Coordinator 1984 - 1996 A community literacy needs assessment survey was completed in 1994. As a result, READ Saskatoon initiated outreach programs to inner-city agencies and provided reading circles and tutoring at the GRAS Centre. By May 1995, programming at the Friendship Inn and Family Support Centre began to wind down. The relationship with the Friendship Inn terminated in early 1996. Up to that point the Administrative Director had worked out of a home office. With her impending retirement, READ began a search for office space. We secured our first official home in the Avenue Building in downtown Saskatoon. In 1998, READ sponsored the first Read ’n’ Feed fundraiser at Amigo’s Cantina. This annual event has proven successful in attracting new donors for READ Saskatoon. We established a contingency fund in 1999, and the board of directors also adopted a code for ethical and financial accountability. In 2004, READ Saskatoon’s adult classroom program at the GRAS Centre came to an end. The program had, over time, transformed into an employability program. READ Saskatoon withdrew, knowing that the GRAS Centre/Saskatoon Food Bank and Learning Centre would ensure the longevity of learning opportunities for adults in Saskatoon’s inner city. In 2004, READ evaluated their volunteer programs to examine why there was a decline in volunteer numbers. We used the results of this project to develop new ways of responding to literacy. The same year we created annual learner and tutor awards. The Rigby-Wilcox Award recognizes the commitment of a READ Saskatoon learner to improving their literacy skills and knowledge, while the Sylvia Vicq Award recognizes the commitment of a tutor to their learner and to READ Saskatoon.  READ Saskatoon’s Board continued to evaluate their effectiveness and in 2005 revised our bylaws. In September 2005, the Government of Saskatchewan announced the creation of a Literacy Commission to raise awareness of the importance of high-level literacy for all citizens of the province. In 2006, READ Saskatoon fine-tuned our vision and mission. That same year, 18 million dollars were cut from literacy programs across Canada by the federal government. In 2007, READ Saskatoon hosted its first PGI invitational golf tournament. We raised $20,000 the first year. Today, READ Saskatoon continues to be optimistic about the future. The organization’s literacy programs and partnerships continue to diversify and flourish. The volunteers and four full-time staff work annually with over 3,000 individuals from throughout our community. This number includes:
Pat Stuart works as a Primary Health Facilitator for the Saskatoon Health Region and has provided facilitation at READ Saskatoon for the past 18 months. Pat is currently enrolled in a Master of Arts Program in Conflict Analysis and Management, Royal Roads University. This article is excerpted from a history that she wrote as part of READ Saskatoon’s evaluation project on the occasion of their 30th anniversary. |
in collaboration with READ Saskatoon.
Our Programs….
…Fit the Learner: Our literacy programs range from confidential adult one-on-one tutoring to adult group literacy skills training to programs designed for parents and families. 