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SUMMER 2021


GIFT CREATES MULTICULTURAL CHILDREN’S LITERACY HUB


The education professors involved with the literacy collaborative — Erin Hamel and Bettie Parsons Barger — reached out this spring to the Department of Design for help in creating the space.


“Literacy opens doors to creativity by allowing people to enter imaginative worlds through books and theatre — very important activities for young minds as reading fiction and participating in theatre are directly linked to helping children develop empathy,” Kwiatkowski said.


GIFT CREATES MULTICULTURAL


A former computer lab on the third floor of Withers/W.T.S. Building will be transformed this fall into a children’s literacy haven thanks to the help of Winthrop design students.


The space will house the Richard W. Riley College of Ed- ucation’s Williams Family Multicultural Children’s Literacy Collaborative, which will offer a variety of opportunities that promote literacy to preK-12 students from York County’s diverse community. The project will provide resources ded- icated to the exploration and celebration of literacy experi- ences that honor ethnic, cultural and social diversity while helping students grow as readers and writers.


Most of the design students had not worked directly with clients or had the opportunity to see their design ideas come to fruition in the real world, said Mikale Kwiatkowski, an assistant professor of design.


“The team started the design process with research — a deep dive into educational spaces, common and uncom- mon furniture options, color, materiality, space planning and pedagogy,” Kwiatkowski added.


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CHILDREN’S LITERACY HUB


Collaborative to Provide Unlimited Possibilities Throughout the year, the collaborative will offer litera- cy engagements for Rock Hill School District children and families and other community agencies. Profes- sional authors and storytellers will host interactive workshops to enhance and expand children’s love of language. A children’s multicultural library will serve as a source of inspiration for bookmaking, digital literacy projects and storytelling dramatizations.


The collaborative will also function as a demonstra- tion site for literacy instructional strategies such as read-alouds, partner reading, shared reading, guided writing and mini-writing lessons.


Educators are excited about the project’s possibilities. Jennie Rakestraw, dean of the College of Educa- tion, said: “We are excited to see our vision to foster literacy learning and creativity through a collaborative, community-oriented project such as this.”


Additionally, the collaborative will extend support to the participants in the Macfeat Summer Literacy Camp for Emergent Bilinguals. In addition to working with local schools and community organizations, project facilitators also will partner with other departments and colleges and involve faculty, staff and students across the Winthrop campus.


Collaborative Made Possible by Williams Family The collaborative was established by a major gift from Winthrop University Board of Trustees member Gary Williams and his wife, Peggy.


Peggy and Gary Williams


The two established the Gary and Peggy Williams Fund for Literacy in 2010, which supported literacy tutoring clinics and contributed to the Macfeat Summer Literacy Camp for Emergent Bilinguals. Over the past two decades, the Williams family has con- tributed to a wide range of Winthrop academic and athletic programs.


Gary is founder and chairman of the board of Williams & Fudge Corp., a financial services firm in operation in Rock Hill since 1986. He currently serves on Win- throp’s Board of Trustees and is a former member of the Winthrop University Foundation Board of Directors.


The Rock Hill businessman and philanthropist re- ceived an honorary Winthrop degree in 2011 for his work as a champion of education in the community. Williams has served locally on numerous historical, community service, education and business organiza- tions. He currently serves as a member of the Board of Trustees for the ETV Endowment of South Carolina.


Meanwhile, Peggy also is active in the community, having served as a member of the Board of Directors for the Rock Hill School District Foundation, with the Children’s Attention Home Charter School and on the ChristmasVille Board of Directors.


To learn more about the Williams Family Multicultural Children’s Literacy Collaborative, contact Bettie Parsons Barger at bargerbp@winthrop.edu or 803/323-4734.


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