Every two years, we recognize those who have made outstanding achievements in the adult literacy and education landscape.
We announced the 2024 award recipients at a special luncheon during our Conference on Adult Education, held October 6–9 in Baltimore. After presenting each award, the honorees sat together on a panel to answer questions about their accomplishments.
We are pleased to share this year’s ProLiteracy Award recipients.
From left, Dollar General Director of Corporate Social Responsibility and philanthropy Lindsay Basler, Jacqueline Kirk, Janet Sodell, Kimmel Proctor, Hannah Sankan, Vince Scalise, ProLiteracy Senior Director of Programs Todd Evans, and ProLiteracy President and CEO Mark Vineis.
Frank C. Laubach Award for Adult Learner Excellence
Hannah Sankan was awarded the Frank C. Laubach Award for Learner Excellence for her achievements earning her high school equivalency diploma. Sankan, 55, left school in the ninth grade. After rough beginnings that carried into adulthood, Sankan overcame homelessness, addiction, and mental health struggles to change the path she was on by enrolling in Seeds of Literacy, in Cleveland, OH. Since passing the GED test, Sankan has earned her state-tested nursing aide certification and is enrolled in the Moody Bible Institute to earn a degree in human services.
Ruth J. Colvin Award for Volunteer Tutor Excellence
Vince Scalise, a volunteer tutor at the Adult Literacy League (ALL) in Winter Park, FL, is the recipient of the Ruth J. Colvin Award for Volunteer Tutor Excellence. Scalise is a dedicated, creative educator known among students for teaching English using music and breaking down song lyrics, even leading karaoke sessions. In his more than 20 years with ALL, Scalise has helped over 150 students learn the content and gain the confidence to take and pass the US citizenship test. Through his YouTube channel, ESL Gorilla, Scalise’s reach to help adults learn English goes far beyond ALL.
ProLiteracy Award for Program Excellence
Beyond Literacy (BeLit), an adult literacy program in Philadelphia, received the ProLiteracy Award for Program Excellence for the innovative way it is reaching city residents. The award was accepted by BeLit CEO Kimmel Proctor. BeLit launched the Mobile Learning Lab in 2022 to take Wi-Fi, laptops, and printers into the city’s low-connected communities, or “digital deserts.” Through the Mobile Learning Lab, BeLit partners with other social service agencies assisting adults to register for literacy classes and providing basic digital literacy instruction. BeLit’s Mobile Learning Lab, for example, partnered with a city violence prevention program to provide services to returning citizens at parole offices on a monthly basis. The returning citizens have access to adult education classes or resources such as résumé editing and printing and digital navigation at the Mobile Learning Lab.
Dollar General Student of the Year Award
Jacqueline Kirk was named this year’s Dollar General Student of the Year. Since enrolling in adult literacy classes at New Dimensions Literacy Council in Ardmore, OK, in 2021, Kirk has never missed a class. Kirk, 65, has a reading disability and was in special education classes growing up. She left school after 11th grade when she became pregnant. After years of hiding the fact that she couldn’t read well and living in a long-term drug addiction recovery home, she enrolled at New Dimensions with the goal of getting her driver’s license. Since entering the program and improving her literacy skills, Kirk has moved into her own apartment and gained steady employment.
Dollar General Literacy Innovator Award
Janet Sodell, a teacher and trainer at The READ Center in Richmond, VA, is the recipient of the Dollar General Literacy Innovator Award. Sodell is a presenter with the ProLiteracy Teacher Training Plus professional learning program, funded by the Dollar General Literacy Foundation. As she led coaching sessions following her trainings, Sodell realized she had to find a better way to engage participants. She revamped her format to include mini lessons at the beginning of her coaching sessions to review what was covered the training or to introduce a related idea. and found she was able to better connect with and train those in attendance.
2024 Ann C. Michel Award
The Ann C. Michel International Women in Literacy Award, named for a former ProLiteracy board member who passed away in 2004, recognizes an international literacy organization that helps women in greatest need in developing countries make significant life changes through literacy. This year’s recipient, Coordinadora Nacional de Mujeres Indígenas de Panamá (CONAMUIP), works in Panama to educate indigenous Guna women in Spanish so they can better participate in their communities.
Congratulations to all our award recipients!