Centralia College and the Centralia College Foundation will take over services previously offered by the volunteer organization Our Literacy Council. Centralia College will offer tutoring services through its campus Tutoring Center and the Centralia College Foundation will offer scholarships to cover GED test fees.
“The only difference students will see is where they go for help,” said Kelli Bloomstrom, dean of Transitional Education in a press release from the Centralia College Foundation. “Instead of the campus library, they’ll come to the Transitional Services Building to start their process of learning basic skills or earning a high school diploma or GED. Our goal is for students to receive the same level of support, only from a slightly different source.”
Students may now submit applications for scholarships to cover the GED testing fee through the Centralia College Foundation’s Eric M. Shriver Memorial Scholarship. Centralia College Foundation also has other fee waivers available for students that involve GED test prep.
Our Literacy Council was a volunteer literacy organization that began in Centralia in the early 1970s. The organization began with volunteers who wanted to assist immigrants from Southeast Asia in learning English. Later, the volunteers also focused on Spanish speakers and Eastern European immigrants. In 1986, the organization entered into an informal partnership with Centralia College.
For more information on literacy classes as well as earning a high school diploma or GED, people may visit the Odegaard Phoenix Center inside the Transitional Services Building or call 360-623-8957. For people who would like to donate to scholarships for students working to obtain their GED, contact the Centralia College Foundation at 360-623-8942.
