Jay Dunn, Director of Madison County Literacy Coaltion, and Jayne Tamboia ’13
It’s an exciting time for Jayne Tamboia, ’13, to work with the Madison County Literacy Coalition (MCLC), which was recently nominated as one of 32 finalists for the nationally prestigious All America City Award. This award is given to communities that demonstrate “innovation, inclusiveness, civic engagement, and cross sector collaboration by describing successful efforts to address local challenges.” The Coalition began in 2009 and is comprised of more than 50 entities, including schools, businesses, and other organizations. Its guiding vision is to target literacy from birth and ensure that Madison County achieves 100% literacy.
Jayne is helping bring that vision into reality through her work on various initiatives that will raise awareness about and inform the development of the MCLC. She is currently working with members of the Coalition on a two-year marketing plan. Jayne is also cultivating an online presence by establishing and maintaining social media websites and converting their current website to a WordPress format. On a daily basis, you may find Jayne meeting with various members of the Coalition, at the Edward R. Andrew Elementary School in Morrisville, or at the Oneida Public Library. She feels that one of the most important contributions she can make this summer is increasing the Coalition’s social media presence “as this will undoubtedly influence the growth and awareness of all the wonderful accomplishments and strides the Coalition makes on a regular basis.”
Through her work with the MCLC, Jayne hopes to “learn more about the people of Madison County, the major obstacles they face, and the tactics these organizations are using to combat these issues.” While she considers Hamilton home, her work with the MCLC has made her realize how little she knew about surroundings areas and people. As an Upstate Fellow, Jayne believes she has already developed “a much more attune insight into what makes this county so wonderful,” as well as areas in which the county could benefit from assistance. She has never worked with a nonprofit before and is enjoying contributing to the community, learning about the functionality of nonprofits, and getting to know “many wonderful, kind-hearted individuals.”
Jayne is spending the first half of her summer with the Literacy Coalition. She will then transition into working with BRiDGES: Madison County Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse for the remaining five weeks of her fellowship. At BRiDGES, Jayne will help to research and develop a training program for servers at local establishments that sell and serve alcohol to prevent intoxication, drunk driving and underage drinking.