School supporters and elected officials will visit Whitemarsh to help acquire supplies for low-income adults getting an education.
WHITEMARSH, PA — A local state official will join education supporters in this Montgomery County community this coming weekend to celebrate adult learning by participating in a school supply drive for older learners.
State Sen. Vince Hughes, a Democrat representing parts of Montgomery and Philadelphia counties, will be joining representatives from Beyond Literacy (BeLit) and the Colonial Area Democrats during an appearance this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Whitemarsh Township Building, located at 616 Germantown Pike in the Lafayette Hill section of the township.
Hughes is expected to be joined by Kimmell Proctor, the chief executive officer of Beyond Literacy and Jennifer D’Amato Dow, the local leader of the Colonial Area Democrats.
The three will participate in a school supply drive to benefit the 1,500 adult students who participate in Beyond Literacy, which bills itself as the Philadelphia region’s largest adult education nonprofit organization.
The organization provides free services to low-income adults and their families to offer them the ability to improve their academic, digital literacy and employment skills, develop English proficiency, or earn a high school equivalency credential, according to information about the group.
The Colonial Area Democratic Committee is affiliated with the Pennsylvania Democratic Party, and covers the areas of Plymouth Township, Whitemarsh Township and Conshohocken Borough in eastern Montgomery County.
Items on the school supply wish list, for anyone who is interested in donating, include copy paper, spiral notebooks, hand sanitizer, calculators, backpacks and other office supplies, and anyone wishing to make a donation can bring the supplies to the Whitemarsh Township Building during the hours of the drive on Dec. 3.
According to organizers, staff from Beyond Literacy will be offering tours of its new mobile learning lab during the time of the supply drive.
The lab is a repurposed school bus that has been outfitted with computers, learning software and mobile Wifi, all designed to deliver digital access and skill-building services to low-connected communities across the Greater Philadelphia region, according to a news release about Saturday’s program.
Organizers said that the lab was created with the support of Hughe’s senatorial office.
“When I heard about Beyond Literacy and learned how much they do for the community, I knew I wanted to help,” Dow, the Colonial Area Democrats leader, said in a statement.
Dow said the organization should be commended for its efforts and praised its mission to help those who are less fortunate obtain a proper education.
“They give people the tools to better themselves by getting an education which they may not be able to get without BeLit. I am grateful to the residents of Colonial for being so generous with this cause.”
More information about Beyond Literacy can be found here on its website.
School Supply Drive Benefitting Adult Literacy This Weekend In Montco | Plymouth, PA Patch