Teacher reaches out to immigrants

This teacher has helped many immigrants and has received two grants. This money will enable her to help even more immigrants. - - Donna Poisl

By Tony Di Domizio

Lauraine Lindbloom, a librarian at Hallowell Elementary School in the Hatboro-Horsham School District, believes the efforts of helping immigrants with literacy are past due.

With the aid of two grants, Lindbloom has the goal of improving the quality of life for students through ESL (English as a Second Language) and ELL (English Language Learners) programs at the school, and for adults, teens and youth through literacy programs at First Baptist Church in Lansdale and North Wales Baptist Church.

Lindbloom was selected as the Pennsylvania School Libraries Association Follett Professional Development Award winner and received a $1,000 grant from the PSLA to carry out work at Hallowell.

A second grant, in the amount of $1,500, was awarded to her by the American Baptist Churches USA in Valley Forge, which will go toward improving the literacy program at First Baptist Church and help with the resettlement here of the Karen people, an ethnic group of Burmese refugees.
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