When the Pittsburgh Board of Education
decided to shutter Connelley Adult
Education Center, Don Block sprang into
action to close the literacy education gap
that the closing left in its wake.
Block, executive director, Greater
Pittsburgh Literacy Council, moved swiftly to
meet the need. Within three months, the
Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council
had leased space in the Chamber of
Commerce Building, assembled a professional and volunteer staff, and opened the
Downtown Learning Center for classes.
That kind of dedication to leadership in
literacy education has allowed the
Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council to
assist more than 30,000 students during
Block’s tenure to move onto better jobs,
get off welfare, help their children in
school and accomplish many other goals
that have enhanced people’s lives and
provided benefits to the larger community, as well.
Block has recognized the need among
immigrants who come to Pittsburgh,
many with professional credentials, to
develop adequate language skills so that
they can more readily secure employment in their chosen fields. To meet the
need, Block initiated a program to provide immigrants with training to increase
their proficiency in English.
Block’s accomplishments have also
been demonstrated on a national stage.
When the national Literacy AmeriCorps
Program was in danger of coming to an
end, those administering the program in
other cities knew of Block’s reputation
for leadership and looked to him to
become national administrator of the
program. With him at the helm, the program is now run out of Pittsburgh, making the city a center for literacy education.
HOW TO REACH: Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council,
www.gplc.org
