Creek County Literacy Program
About the Organization
Creek County Literacy Program (CCLP) began in 1989 with the mission to provide Adult Literacy services in Creek County. We began in a small room in the basement of the library. Around 2007, our building was erected through funding by Friends of the Library and the Bartlett Foundation. The City owns and maintains our 5,000 square foot building and our stipulation is we are to only provide literacy related outreaches here.
CCLP now provides Adult Literacy, Youth Literacy and Health Literacy Outreaches. We do offer Computer/Technology Literacy help on a one-on-one basis, but we no longer provide workshops. Under the Youth Literacy umbrella is our Caring Grands Reading Program. Tutors work with the same child weekly, first and second grade struggling readers, to help increase their sight word recognition. The child is gifted a book each week to build a personal home library.
We have had three executive directors. One was here a few years. The current Executive Director Melissa Struttmann replaced Barbara Belk, who retired after 19 years of service. Melissa was hired in January 2013.
CCLP is governed by a board of directors comprised of about 15 local volunteers. They meet monthly, breaking in June and July.
CCLP has one major fundraiser, the Spelling Bee, which has been converted to a “non-event” fundraiser for two years to skirt large gatherings. They will resume holding it in person in 2024. Please click this link to see more information about this year’s Spelling Bee and consider donating–while not attending.
CCLP has been a Tulsa Area United Way Agency since 1991.
Registration numbers have decreased since Covid and have been slow to resume. Our 2022 numbers:
- 15 adult students
- 55 youth students
- 66 Caring Grand Volunteers
- 163 Caring Grand students and
- 633 health literacy attendees
Last month, CCLP hosted the Symposium: Focusing on Adult Learners in partnership with Oklahoma Literacy Coalition.
About the Executive Director
Melissa Struttmann came to CCLP after a position with the American Diabetes Association where she managed the Step Out fundraising event and was responsible for a $190k fundraising goal. Before that, she was the Director of Member Services with the Jenks Chamber of Commerce. Before that, she had a home-based community magazine called the Jenks Express. It was direct mailed to 8,000 homes and businesses each month. It was 40 pages, Melissa wrote the articles, sold the ad space and did the layout. And affixed the 8,000 labels each month (with a little child labor help). She had been a Stay-At-Home-Mom to six kids, one profoundly disabled, about 18 years. Melissa had always been a part of fundraising events in her church and volunteered by doing weekly bulletins and newsletters.
Melissa is the Treasurer for Oklahoma Literacy Coalition. We are very glad to have her and her experience.