White Plains CitizeNetReporter - City Announces English Courses at Library for Non-English Speaking Citizens.

WPCNR AFTERNOON TRIB & POST. By John F. Bailey. October 9, 2002: Mayor Joseph Delfino announced today a new program in conjunction with Westchester Community College, the Westchester Library System, the White Plains Public Library providing 12-week courses in English for non-English speaking adult residents over 18, who speak little or no English, to be given mornings, afternoons and evenings all year round at the White Plains Public Library.

ESL FOR DAILY LIVING ANNOUNCED: The architects of the new ESL for Daily Living program just launched at the White Plains Public Library at their news conference Wednesday morning: L to R, Walter Anderson, of the National Center for Family Literacy, Isabel Villar of Centro Hispano, Sandra Miranda of the White Plains Public Library, MayorJoseph Delfino, Dr. Maurice Freedman, Director of the Westchester Library System, and Dr. Joseph Hankin, President of Westchester Community College. There is still room in the first series of courses and adults over 18 must register in person at the library Thursday at 3:30 PM.
Photo by WPCNR News

Registration for the current session in the mornings and afternoons is scheduled for Thursday afternoon 3:30 PM at the Library. The cost per student is $40 for books and course materials, with instructors of the course being provided by Westchester Community College.

Mayor's Initiative.

The program was conceived by Mayor Delfino and suggested to the Library and Westchester Community College that worked together to design the program.

Sandra Miranda, Director of the White Plains Public Library, said that the current course underway has received an "overwhelming response," and that there is still room for students in the morning and afternoon courses. She said that 85% of the persons currently enrolled are from White Plains.

Limited Room in present course. New course begins in Janurary.

Beginning in January a new course will start up. The instruction will be primarily for Spanish-speaking persons wishing to learn English, but all persons who speak a different language than English who want to learn English, technological English, and English skills for employment and daily living are eligible and will be accepted into the program, space permitting.

Currently the program is designed to handle 100 to 125 students per 12 week course. The present course is filled in the evenings, however there are some slots open in the mornings and afternoons and those will be filled on a first-come first served basis beginning at 3:30 today at the White Plains Public Library. For more information, call the White Plains Public Library at 422-1400, or Westchester Community College.

Program funded by Westchester Community College.

The cost of the program was not available at the news conference, but it is being underwritten by Westchester Community College, and they are reimbursed by grant money from New York State. Mayor Inspired to Create the Program by his father.

Mayor Joseph Delfino, introducing the course, said "the diversity in our city is important to us, and this program will bring us together."

The Mayor pondered on the questions residents who speak no English raised in his head: "How do you communicate? How do you relate to your children and with homework? How do you motivate them?"

The Mayor said the new courses are designed to help make them a bigger part of this community. He cited the example of his own father:

"There's the example of my own Dad. He was talking to me, he said "how tough it was when I came here. I couldn't do anything."

The Mayor said his father got a job at New York Hospital in a custodial position where he had to do a certain task each day. He said he told his father "It wasn't that you couldn't do anything. It's just that you couldn't read, and he said to me, what do you know?"

"In my heart," the Mayor said, "I know that had he had the ability to learn and speak English he would have done more."

Walter Anderson - a living example.

Walter Anderson, CEO of Parade Magazine, a White Plains High School student and White Plains resident, and a member of the Board of Advisors of the National Center for Family Literacy spoke next in support of the program. Mr. Anderson said that he grew up in Mount Vernon, the son of an alcoholic father who beat him when he caught him reading. On the other hand his mother encourgaged him to read. He said there was an "island" in the midst of the turbulence and anger and violence, and it was the Mount Vernon Library, which had "wonderful librarians."

"I would do anything I could, and I was able to imagine myself out of a slum (through reading)," he said.

He praised a teacher of his, a Ms. Williams, who encouraged him: "Every child needs somebody to be crazy about them."

It was her encouragement guiding him to parocial school, Windward School in White Plains, and White Plains High School, and eventually the Marine Corps and then a degree from Westchester Community College which lead to his success today.

"I read myself out of poverity long before I worked myself out of poverity," Anderson said. "Destiny is not something you wait for. Destiny is a choice."

"We are going to make a Difference.

Mayor Delfino in closing the official side of the news conference, and thanking the organizations who created the program, looked Heavenward and said, emotionally, "Dad, I found a way. I tried. I found some people to help. We are going to make a difference."


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