Preds Foundation Awards SuperGrant To Nashville Adult Literacy Council

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The Nashville Predators Foundation, empowered by SmileDirectClub, announced that the Nashville Adult Literacy Council (NALC) will be presented with a SuperGrant totaling $70,000 on Monday, Nov. 22, at Bridgestone Arena as the Predators take on the Anaheim Ducks.

Nashville Adult Literacy Council helps teach reading, writing and English-speaking skills to adults. This SuperGrant will help fund the NALC’s virtual tutor program, program licenses and the ability to hire a new staff member to help run the program and directly impact our community’s literacy rate.

“We couldn’t be more excited about this SuperGrant from the Nashville Predators Foundation and SmileDirectClub,” says Nashville Adult Literacy Council CEO Kim Karesh. “Families come to NALC in times of transition, and literacy is a skill that empowers them to learn what they need so they can improve their lives. As one student said to me, ‘when you can read, you can learn anything.'” She continues, “During the pandemic, we had to discontinue some of our tutoring programs, and this grant is helping us bring back tutoring in a virtual format. While we’ve seen great success this year with our online classes, we’ve really been missing the personal connections that happen between our volunteers and our learners. Nothing can replace the friendships that are formed, and we can’t wait to get back to it.”

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the NALC has offered literacy classes virtually. Despite a successful transition to this method, the organization also has many learners who would benefit from the more personalized approach that one-on-one tutoring allows. Using SuperGrant funds, the NALC will continue to bolster its virtual tutoring program to create more one-on-one learning opportunities.

“Through our research, we learned that one in eight Nashville adults is unable to read, which is a staggering statistic,” says Predators Vice President of Community Relations Rebecca King. “With the opportunity to support NALC, we can help not only change this statistic but also change the trajectory of every life that they impact, along with their future generations. The ripple effect of this grant will benefit our community for many, many years to come. After meeting several adult learners, we saw the confidence and pride this program brought them and the love and compassion they have for their tutors who have taught them so much. We are so proud to align ourselves with this amazing organization.”

The NALC has earned eight national awards and two regional awards for outstanding program, staff dedication and student achievement. Since its founding, the organization has also offered citizenship classes, specialized classes pertaining to workplace literacy, GED classes, English-skills for adult immigrants and more.

Steven Boero
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