Program closes in on goal Some groups enhancing their benefits

It's been just more than a year since The Learning Community started its 12- to 18-month mission to challenge residents, businesses, civic organizations and educational institutions to buy into the value of learning for life.

So far, more than 12,500 people are part of The Learning Community, and organizers say many of those are actually doing something to demonstrate a commitment to the goal. More than 40 actual contracts have been signed by groups or individuals that are participating in the initiative.

"I don't think we'll ever be finished as a learning community, but I think that soon we'll be able to announce that it will be our brand," said Malcolm Bryant, a real estate and property manager.

Bryant came up with the concept of branding the greater Owensboro area as "the learning community."

The plan has been to present The Learning Community initiative over 12 to 18 months through face-to-face meetings with civic groups, employers, community leaders and individuals.

"I feel like we've done an awful lot to raise awareness," said Tracy Marksberry, The Learning Community's executive director.

A partnership with the Messenger-Inquirer that features success stories and initiatives that businesses and organizations are working on has kept the message in front of the community, she said.

A Web site, GoLearningCommunity.com, allows residents and employers to learn about the process and sign up online.

And Marksberry is willing to meet with any group that is interested and explain the initiative.

"The best part of my job is that almost daily someone says to me, `I have this great idea,' whether it's an educator, a museum director or someone else," Marksberry said. "We're a vehicle for those great ideas, and some of them have really taken shape."

The organization has a 25-member board that is meeting routinely with an additional 25 volunteers working in committees.

*** Employers signing on ***

When Owensboro Medical Health System, the region's largest employer, made its covenant to accept learning as a core value, the membership number for The Learning Community went over 10,000.

The list of learning opportunities captured so far in the group's inventory includes tuition reimbursement, internships and other training, educational programs, recognitions, scholarships and other financial aid, flexible schedules and volunteering.

Some employers and groups that already were offering opportunities have enhanced benefits such as tuition reimbursement.

"Not one of us has all the answers, but if we have groups from all the community working toward one goal, we can make tremendous progress," Marksberry said. "We know we have educational challenges, but a lot of wonderful learning things have happened in the past year."

She pointed to a partnership between Owensboro Community and Technical College and OMHS that will provide on-the-job training for health care jobs; Tubby's Clubhouse, a computer literacy program for middle school students who don't have a computer in their homes; a proposed expansion of Western Kentucky University; a business accelerator program through the Economic Development Corp.; The Learning Villa, a Brescia University housing initiative for single mothers attending college; and expanded broadband access for the region.

Rodney Berry, executive director of the Public Life Foundation of Owensboro, said Marksberry and the advisory board have demonstrated that there are creative ways to engage in learning.

"It's a long-term challenge to affect the cultural ethic - a community value that gets at the heart of a community," Berry said.

The $100,000 budget to run The Learning Community comes from almost all private sources, organizers said. The state Department of Education contributed $10,000.

Bryant said he's excited that the community has embraced the idea of The Learning Community.

"People have thought that when they get a degree, they're done with learning, but learning needs to continue as a value in our personal growth," he said. "Learning is a generational thought; it doesn't mean when you graduate or retire."

The assessment committee will help to determine when the board is ready to go to elected officials and ask them to make a public commitment to The Learning Community as a brand.

On that day, the organization will be able to point to several successful initiatives.

"A lot of us feel we're very close," Bryant said.

*** Programs in the works ***

The Learning Community is one of the partners working to establish an Imagination Library in Daviess County.

Through this program started by entertainer Dolly Parton, every child who is signed up will receive a book each month in the mail. The books are theirs to keep, and they continue to get them from birth to age 5.

Fundraising is continuing, with $20,000 raised toward a $60,000 goal. It takes about $30 per year for each child to fund it.

Significant pledges have been received from the Junior League of Owensboro, with members also committing to consulting. Other early contributors have been the Daviess County Early Childhood Council, Owensboro Civitan Club and Owensboro Woman's Club.

Others on board are Audubon Area Community Services, school systems and River Valley Behavioral Health. Many others are interested, Marksberry said.

Another program in the planning stages is The Big Read, a partnership with the Daviess County Public Library and local colleges. In this National Endowment for the Arts initiative, people throughout the community are encouraged to read the same classic book.

The program will be an enhancement of OCTC's common reading program for its campus operated through the humanities department.

"OCTC has great experience with this and is submitting a grant for that project," Marksberry said. "We hope it will be funded and have a program in February 2008."

The plan is to invite cultural institutions and community organizations to be a part of the program, she said.

Marksberry also wants to collaborate with arts groups to create opportunities.

OCTC, partners get grant for `Big Read' event
Owensboro Community & Technical College and a number of local partners learned this week that their collaboration has earned a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and a chance to participate in a national event called The Big Read.

The idea behind The Big Read is for communities across the country to celebrate one of 16 novels from January to June.

"We're so excited to finally get to tell everyone about this," said Kaye Brown, OCTC English instructor. "We've been participating in the Common Reading program for several semesters, but this will give us a chance to involve the whole community in a greater way."

The Common Reading program invites students and faculty members at OCTC to read the same book, and it ends with a presentation from a well-known author.

The OCTC grant collaboration was one of 127 groups to receive funding from the national arts group.

Joining OCTC in the lead on the program are The Learning Community, the Community Foundation of Owensboro-Daviess County, Owensboro Area Museum of Science and History and the Daviess County Public Library.

More than 30 book discussions as well as other community activities will take place in Owensboro as part of the program.

A steering committee made up of representatives from the lead organizations picked author Amy Tan's "The Joy Luck Club" as the novel for reading and discussion in the region.

"It appealed to us because of the opportunity to learn more about another culture and for potential enhancement of recent exchanges," said Tracy Marksberry, executive director of The Learning Community.

The kickoff event for February will be announced later with a schedule of activities completed after the first of the year.

The group is working to turn its ideas into details for the community activities, Marksberry said. The ideas include cultural exhibits, film screenings and youth writing workshops.

"It's quite an honor to receive a national grant," Marksberry said. "I really think our partnership made our proposal stand out."

The groups will get a $7,500 matching grant from the national arts endowment. The local match is coming from more than $2,000 in in-kind contributions and more than $5,000 in local funds.

The idea behind the national program is to bring citizens back to reading and to "restore reading to the center of American culture."

Brown is concerned about statistics that show Americans aren't reading as much as they once did.

"We've heard recently that if we don't fix that, we won't have a citizenry that's capable of being a democracy," she said. "This won't be a fix-all, but it's a great opportunity."

Reading good literature engages your whole brain, Brown said. And these skills transfer well to other kinds of reading including those needed for retraining.

Colleges and schools, cultural institutions, community agencies and businesses also will be invited to join in the celebration, Marksberry said.