Columbia Basin Alliance for Literacy is losing their Community Literacy Coordinator of five years, Liz Gillis, but she’s not retiring.
“I’m not retiring, I’m not that old!” Gillis quipped on her last day with CBAL. The now-former coordinator prefers to refer to her absence from the literacy organization as a “gap year” of travel, gardening and adventure.
The last five years with CBAL have been a great interpersonal adventure for Gillis, who said it was the people that made the job fantastic. Before she was the official coordinator, Gillis was volunteering in the one-to-one program in Burton tutoring kids and helping them with their reading. The love of learning and teaching that inspired her volunteerism continued on when she became the Community Literacy Coordinator, helping get programs going like ESL students and computer programs for seniors.
“One of my favourite parts of the program is working with seniors’ associations,” Gillis told the Arrow Lakes News. “We’ve been able to connect with older adults and get them online.”
Lisa Bjarnason is taking over as the Community Literacy Coordinator, which is a great fit and one that Gillis is excited about. Bjarnason has a background in education, and currently works helping people with employment and training. She’s also familiar with CBAL, having worked with them as a community partner. Bjarnason is excited to be working as part of the organization, and is focusing on learning the day-to-day parts of the job.
Gillis, on the other hand, is getting ready to head out on the highway looking for adventure. The motorhome is getting fixed up and ready to drive further than it’s ever been (which has only been Edgewood so far) out into the wide wide world.