Hello, friends! ENGLISH @ WORK turns 8 years old this month. To celebrate, we’re raising $8,000 in support of Leaders @ Work, our brand new alumni advisory and engagement group. Leaders @ Work participants are natural leaders who stand out among our graduates for their extraordinary ambition and compassion. The inaugural class of Leaders will offer one-on-one student support and develop a long-term plan for peer mentoring and other critical activities.

To see a video about the $8K in 18 Days campaign, as well as pictures of Leaders @ Work candidates, go to Razoo, or donate below.

• There are 150,000 people living in Central Texas who don’t speak English well.
• Over 95% of them cannot access traditional English classes.
• Limited English puts people at a higher risk of getting stuck in entry-level jobs, receiving poor quality health care, and even dying on the job.

ENGLISH @ WORK disrupts the cycle of poverty by bringing critical language classes to the workplace. Check out this video to see how we do it:

In the last week of African-American History Month, ENGLISH @ WORK recognizes three individuals who worked hard to move America forward on the issue of immigration.

 In 2012, President Obama introduced the Deferred Action for Childhood    Arrivals program, which stopped deportation of young undocumented   immigrants that match a certain set of criteria.

The son of an immigrant, Obama has pledged to make comprehensive immigration reform one of the top priorities of his second term as president.

 The Reverend Jessie Jackson has been a supporter of immigration reform for decades. At the 2012 immigration reform march in Washington, D.C., Jackson quoted the Langston Hughes poem, “I, Too, Sing America,” likening the African-American experience to that of working immigrants.

 Barbara Jordan supported the addition of language minorities to the Voting Rights Act during its multiple renewals. Language minorities provisions ensure that speakers of Spanish, Chinese, and Tagolog, among other languages, have equal access in the voting process.

President Bill Clinton appointed Barbara Jordan to chair the Commission on Immigration Reform in 1993. Jordan acknowledged that there is a lot of “contradictory testimony, shaky statistics, and a great deal of honest confusion” around the immigration issue.

2012 was a great year for ENGLISH @ WORK, our  students, and our partner businesses. The official 2012 Program Report won’t be ready for a few more months, but here’s a sneak peek.

In 2012, ENGLISH @ WORK,

- Served 225 immigrants and refugees,

- Partnered with 12 employers,

- Continued to partner with Caritas to provide pre-employment classes to newly arrived refugees,

- Retained a higher percentage of students than traditional English programs, and

- Helped students make the same proficiency gains in less time compared to other programs.

Stay tuned for stories about what our students are doing with their improved English skills!

• “I feel more comfortable at work because now I can communicate with my supervisor and I understand more in staff meetings.” – Hospital housekeeper

• “Now I am able to call and explain why my child isn’t able to make it to school.” — Retail employee

• “Employee turnover among ENGLISH @ WORK participants has decreased by 16%. This has saved us $250,000, or 7 times what we invested in the program, a darn good return on investment!”              – Director of Support Services, Seton Healthcare Family

• “[During Teaching @ Work], I thought about things I hadn’t taken the time to think about before. Before, I was groping around in the dark for tools, but you just gave them to me!”                                       —  Teacher training participant

The holidays are just around the corner!!! Let’s celebrate the great efforts of everyone who supports our ENGLISH @ WORK community. Join us for a wonderful afternoon in the Guero’s Oak Garden and let’s make the best of this fantastic December weather.

*We’ll be showcasing the wonderful artwork of our friend and recent E@W grad, Manal Shehab.

*There will be music; dancing strongly encouraged.

*Delicious potluck dishes provided by you and our students from over 30 different countries.

*Most importantly, enjoy wonderful company and the opportunity to share all the good things that have made 2012 a success.

This year’s Quiz for a Cause raised enough funds to pay for instruction at 24 workplace classes in 2013. Thank you to everyone who made the event a success! We’ll be getting pictures of the Quiz up soon, so check back here to see how much fun it was.

Thanks also to those of you who bought raffle tickets but couldn’t make it to Mercury Hall on the 9th. All the prizes were claimed by people who were actually participating in the Quiz. While you may have had your hopes set on one of our 6 amazing items, we hope you find consolation in the fact that whether you bought 1 ticket or 20, your money goes straight to helping hard-working immigrants and refugees get the language skills they need to move up at work and in life.

Again, muchas gracias!

Winners will be announced tonight at Quiz for a Cause. If you win but are not at the Quiz, we’ll get in touch with you. Stay tuned!

  South Congress Staycation

-One night stay at the Hotel San Jose (Sun-Thurs)

- $100 gift certificate to Perla’s

- 4 passes to the Continental Club + $50 bar tab

- $400 value

  San Antonio Getaway

 - One night at Hotel Havana (Sun-Thurs)

 - 5-course dinner for 2 at Restaurant Gwendolyn (Tues-Thurs)

 - $350 value

Other Items:

• 4 Free Floral Deliveries from La Fete Chic for a Year ($600 value)
• Yeti Tundra 45 Quart Cooler ($300 value)
• $250 Gift Certificate from Russell Korman
• A Taste of South Congress gift basket with certificates from Guero’s, Maya Star, and others ($200 value)

Earlier this month, ENGLISH @ WORK was honored to welcome Dawn Allen, our first Program Director, back home to the organization. Dawn left Austin in 2010 to pursue a Master’s degree at Portland State University but we were thrilled to learn of her interest in returning to Central Texas after graduation. And what a joy it is to have her back! We can’t wait to see what will unfold for E@W with the added support of Dawn’s expertise and graceful leadership as she fills the Program Director position once again.

We put Dawn to work right away with her much-anticipated July return. There were reunions to be had, classes, and lunches all over the city. What a month so far! Here’s a peek at some of the amazing moments we got to share with our beloved director during her first few days back.

Welcome back, Dawn!