Today we’d like to introduce you to Tracy Butler.
Hi Tracy, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’m originally from California but lived in several states before settling in South Carolina with my husband and our two boys. I have taken a less traditional route to become a teacher. I began taking general education courses at a community college after I graduated high school. Over the next 20+ years, I earned my undergraduate degree in Spanish with additional coursework in education, then a master’s degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, and a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction. I have taught or volunteered in almost every grade level, focusing on Spanish, literacy, and English as a Second Language. I currently teach college courses focused on literacy, assessment, culture, and strategies that help teachers to increase their knowledge of how to teach students for whom English is not their native language.
I have always enjoyed working with people from other countries and especially teaching them. I have also traveled to many countries and studied abroad in Costa Rica and Mexico. As a teacher and parent, I have noticed the learning loss that many children experience during the summertime. This loss is often greater in students for whom English is not their first language because they oftentimes only speak their native language at home. To do well in school, students need to have a strong background in English. However, it is also important for them to maintain their native language and culture. I wanted to find a way to help children who were still in an English as a Second Language program at their schools. I thought they could use help in learning English to maintain and possibly increase their English skills during the summer. That is why I started my nonprofit, the Carolina Literacy Project. I believe that students learning English as non-native speakers will have an advantage in starting classes in the fall if they have help with their English literacy in the summer. I wanted a summer camp with an academic focus that provided experiences the kids might not usually have.
We are in our first year as a nonprofit and we had our first summer camps in June and July. The support of donors has been vital to our becoming a nonprofit. I would like to thank all of our donors and volunteers as well as my board and committee members. My ESL teacher, recreation leader, marketing intern, volunteers, board members, committee members, and I are all learning a lot and enjoying the experience.
Alright, let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what challenges have you had to overcome?
It has been a challenging road. When we became a nonprofit, things began to move quickly once we received our 501(c)(3) status. However, we encountered a major obstacle when finding a space to host our summer camps. Thankfully, St. Michael Lutheran Church graciously offered two classrooms for us to use for our camps. The support of the pastors and their parishioners has been invaluable.
Finding donors for our nonprofit was also a struggle, but family, friends and strangers have stepped up to help. We also received a grant from the SC Commission for Minority Affairs. We had gift cards donated to us from St. Michael’s Lutheran Church, Publix, and Costco, which have helped us to be able to buy snacks, drinks, and art and educational supplies for our campers. Project Host has generously prepared and donated lunches each day for our campers. Home Depot donated pots and plants so our campers could learn how to grow plants from a master gardener who volunteered to teach our campers. We have also received the support of many people, other nonprofits, and other organizations that have helped our nonprofit to grow, and I am eternally grateful for their support.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Carolina Literacy Project?
Our purpose is to help immigrant and refugee children in South Carolina increase their English literacy and diminish learning loss during the summer. We offer June and July summer camps. We have an academic focus Mondays – Thursdays and fun Fridays where we have guests such as the Greenville Symphony, Roper Mountain Science Center, Walt’s Waltz, and the SC Children’s Museum, to name a few. Our campers have also had the unique opportunity to be read to by Greenville Drive baseball team players and learn more about baseball. Hoops University has also visited to teach campers about the joys of playing basketball. Both of these sports are not played in some of the native countries of our campers, so I thought it would be even more special to learn about these popular sports played in the United States.
We also do a book drive starting in February for our “Love of Literacy” campaign so that we have books for our summer camp. The wish list stays up on our website so that books can be donated at any time.
I am proud of our work helping children improve their English skills and providing them with unique cultural experiences. I like that we offer a camp where students from various countries can learn from each other and not be uncomfortable because they speak with an accent or may not read as well as a native speaker. They are all in similar situations in this way, creating a sense of comfort for them. Many campers have at least one other camper who speaks the same language, which can create a sense of familiarity and security.
We offer a unique camp that is not found in the Upstate. At the inception of the Carolina Literacy Project nonprofit, my board and I decided that we wanted to keep our camp low-cost so that it would be affordable for immigrant and refugee families. We have done this by creating scholarships from funds provided by donors. Our families greatly appreciate this help. The Carolina Literacy Project summer camp gives immigrant and refugee families a safe and fun environment for their children to work on their English skills.
Risk-taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
Sometimes it is necessary to take calculated risks to achieve goals in life. Starting my Ph.D. program in my thirties with two young children still at home was a risk. Starting this nonprofit has also been a risk but hearing about the life experiences of immigrants and refugee children has inspired me to take this risk. In school, I was taught that America is the land of opportunity. Launching this nonprofit and experiencing the outpouring of support from my community, family, and friends have made me believe that what I learned is true. If you’re willing to work hard and have a bit of luck and a lot of support, you can achieve your goals and dreams in this country. I am grateful to have that opportunity.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.carolinaliteracyproject.org
- Instagram: @carolinaliteracyproject
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100088559687460
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/carolina-literacy-project
