Description And Goals

This foundation is dedicated to assisting adults improve their basic skill level enabling them to be successful in their personal and work lives.  The foundation researches, develops and delivers support materials to small business employers who provide basic skill training to their employees.  The primary focus is on the development of reading skills.

Margaret Mary Dennehy O'Connor

The foundation is named in honor of Margaret Mary Dennehy O'Connor.  Mrs. O'Connor was born in Killarney in County Kerry, Ireland in 1911.  She emigrated to the United States in the mid 1930's.  She and her husband, Patrick, raised seven children in the greater Cleveland, Ohio area.  She passed away in February,2000.  Mrs. O'Connor was a strong advocate of education believing that all people needed a quality education to enable them to be successful in all aspects of life but especially in their work lives.

Rationale

Employers are heavily engaged in work processes related to developing high-performance organizations.  This results in workers who must meet a satisfactory education level enabling them and the organizations to adapt and grow.  The foundation for this education level is grounded in strong basic skills primarily in reading but also in communication, mathematics, technology, and business economics.  The development of this educational foundation requires extensive basic skills education and training by employers.  The employer and the organization take on an educational role becoming a primary source of education for the employee.  The education of literally millions of American adults now and in the future will occur at the workplace.  A major portion of these workers are employed by small businesses.

Goals of the Foundation

1. To increase employer and worker interest and ability to improve basic workforce literacy

2. To provide support materials for employers and workers to facilitate the development  of these basic skills programs

3.To identify problems and solutions for effective implementations of basic skills programming in the workplace

Operational Method

The foundation will receive income from grants, donors, products/services and publishing royalties.  This revenue will be channeled into developing instructional support materials and activities for the improvement of workforce literacy.  These materials will be available at no cost to qualifying employers.  A\web-site link will be available to assist employers as they plan, deliver and evaluate their programming.  Also, a network of employers and best-practices library will be developed.  Conferences will also be planned to assist employers in developing basic skills programs in the workplace.