Greenfield Restores Funding For Adult Literacy Courses At COJO Of Flatbush And Boro Park JCC

Shannon Geis -
Community women gathering to restore Adult Literacy courses. (Photo by Shannon Geis/Kensington BK)

After funding for adult literacy courses was cut earlier this year, a number of women in the community were unsure of where to turn to continue their English education.

However, Council member David Greenfield announced last week that he, along with the Brooklyn Delegation, has been able to secure $84,575 to COJO of Flatbush and $24,830 for the Boro Park JCC to continue providing adult literacy courses.

“Adult literacy is a priority for our diverse community. After all, knowing how to read and write is vital for an adult’s success. I am pleased to support COJO of Flatbush and Boro Park JCC’s work and will keep fighting to increase funding for such critical educational programs,” said Council member Greenfield in a statement.

“We are very grateful to the City Council Brooklyn Delegation and Councilman David Greenfield for restoring the Adult Literacy funding,”  Louis Welz, CEO of COJO Flatbush in a statement. “This funding will help hard working Immigrants learn English, integrate into American society, participate in their families education and healthcare and most importantly, get better jobs to provide for their families.”

In the months since funding was cut, many of the women in the neighborhood who attended the classes have looked for alternatives. Last month, the BRICK Community Center opened a Female Literacy Center in order to give these women a space to continue their studies. However, BRICK does not have any funding.

BRICK Director Shahid Khan is concerned about the future of the center now that Greenfield has reinstated funds to COJO. “Students were frustrated, asking for help, visiting every office of NYC, so BRICK come together and gave them a placed that called home. That four months was very crucial for their spirit and identity, and kept them united and confident,” said Khan.

He thinks it is unfortunate that Greenfield did not take into consideration the efforts the BRICK Center has made to accommodate the students when they lost their adult literacy classes from funding cuts this summer.