In February, the Masonic Charity Foundation of Oklahoma awarded Payne Education Center, an Oklahoma City-based nonprofit teacher training and dyslexia advocacy center, a $130,000 grant to offer an in-depth series of online Structured Literacy best practice videos for teachers and parents, as well as training scholarships for Payne Education Center’s Structured Literacy-based reading instruction programs for Oklahoma’s teachers. This unprecedented funding increase reflects the Masonic Charity Foundation of Oklahoma’s understanding the need for more online resources and training for teachers and parents as well as more reading instruction training using Structured Literacy-based programs.“The Masonic Charity Foundation of Oklahoma’s commitment to education, specifically literacy and those who struggle to attain it, has allowed Payne Education Center to extend our reach to give teachers the necessary tools to successfully teach children how to read,” said Heather Johnson, Executive Director of Payne Education Center. “Thanks to their sustained generosity over 30 years, Payne will now be able to extend access to online resources and interactive curricula for teachers and their students and parents of those who struggle with dyslexia.” John Logan, Executive Director of the Masonic Charity Foundation, commenting on their initiative, stated, “We are excited to help make Structured Literacy videos accessible for teachers and parents across the state of Oklahoma.”
For the last 6 years, Payne Education Center has hosted The Brain Games, a fundraising trivia night, to raise awareness on the need for support in our schools for dyslexic students. Emceed by local comedian and education advocate Spencer Hicks, this spirited trivia night at Will Rogers Theatre increased both awareness about dyslexia and funds to support Payne’s mission to ensure that “No Child Should Struggle to Read.” This year attendees raised over $50,000 to further programs and training at Payne. The Masonic Charity Foundation is a proud supporter of the work that Payne Education Center does for our communities
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