COABE Members, please take this immediate action today:

Action: Call, email, or fax your two Senators with this message:

“Please add $160 million to adult education funding to provide services to potential students placed on waiting lists for services.”

Talk about the need and demand for services in your area. Share the 2009-2010 NCSDAE Adult Student Waiting List Survey (http://www.ncladvocacy.org/2010AdultEducationWaitingListReport.pdf) and discuss the waiting list numbers in your program or state. Make the case as to why your program needs additional funding.

Goal: 500 contacts per Senator.

When: Now.

Deadline: This Friday (!) April 16.

Contact Information: Locate your Senators’ contact information using ProLiteracy’s or TESOL’s interactive map.

Feedback: Local or state contacts please report back results here: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/89HRRSH .

Why: The House and Senate Subcommittees on Appropriations have been accepting written testimonies from organizations this week. Senators in particular, need to send their funding requests to the Appropriations Chairs by this Friday, April 16. To raise the priority of adult education and family literacy, COABE requests that you contact your US Senators asking them to support an increase in funding for adult education programs provided by WIA Title II by adding $160 million to the President’s proposed budget request. Now is a unique opportunity to influence the appropriations process!

This is also in follow up to our request that COABE Members prepare local networks to participate in adult literacy advocacy campaigns this spring; we are joining the National Coalition for Literacy, the state directors, and other national organizations in this effort. It is Part I of a multi-part grassroots campaign to leverage support from Congress.

Please call your Senators this week.