MCLC welcomes public with open house

The Mississippi County Literacy Council officially opened its doors at its new location in Osceola holding an open house at its new digs Friday afternoon.

The MCLC is now housed at the United Methodist Church at 303 S. Carthon in Osceola and MCLC Alicia Rounsavall could not be more delighted. “We are excited to be in Osceola and look forward to serving the needs of the area through literacy.

One project the council is bringing back is the “Community Garden” which will be planted and maintained on property across the street on the East side of Carthon.

“We are excited about bringing the garden back,” said Rounsavall. “The program will be called ‘Educate and Cultivate’ and will target SNAP receipts, residents of the housing authority and SHIFT. Bishop Gregory Brown said that residents of SHIFT will be helping with the garden. The MCLC will also receive assistance with the garden from Jill Forrester and the staff at Whitton Farms.

Rounsavall said even with the move to Osceola, the Council will still support Literacy throughout the county. “Our mission is to change lives through literacy. That means in Osceola, Blytheville, Manila, Joiner, wherever we are needed.”

The open house was a success as a number of people signed up to either assist with literacy or to join the program during the three hour event. Overall the MCLC seemed pleased with the response. “We are pleased to be in Osceola in this new facility and are excited about the way we have been received here,” said Marilyn Woessner, President of the Literacy Council Board of Directors. “We think it is going to be a win, win for everyone involved.”

One graduate of the Literacy program, who is now giving back as an instructor, is Rodolfo Herrera, who works in the steel industry in Blytheville. Rodolfo, who is a native Venezuelan descent, learned English well enough that he now gives back by helping others. “It is important to help others learn,” said Rodolfo.

“We are excited to be here,” said Rounsavall. “We will continue to seek out new partners to assist in the effort to spread literacy through a variety of means. Our goal remains to help as many people as we can through literacy.”