Ozarks Literacy Council director resigns

In the course of a month, Paula Shumaker lost both parents, and a friend lost her husband in a car accident. The experiences were more than enough, she said, to realize that life is too short, and if she were going to pursue her dreams, it was time to leave the top position she'd held for eight years at Ozarks Literacy Council.

Shumaker's dreams include a deeper focus on writing, and she plans to expand on two e-bulletin services she maintained while serving as Ozarks Literacy Council's executive director, she said.

Shumaker's last day at the council was Dec. 30, and both she and the nonprofit's board president said the parting was friendly.

Jennifer Mueller, board president and an attorney for Husch Blackwell Sanders LLP, said a four-person search committee will begin interviewing candidates the second week of January. A job description was posted on nonprofit Web sites and sent to the Missouri Career Center and United Way of the Ozarks, where Ozarks Literacy Council is a member agency, Mueller said.

"Board members also forwarded the description to individuals who may be interested," she said.

The committee will recommend one of the applicants for the position and the board will have final approval, she said, noting that applications will be accepted until the position is filled, and she's hoping that will happen by February.

The ideal candidate would have administrative and fundraising experience, and be able to effectively represent the organization to the community, Mueller said. An emphasis on marketing and fundraising skills has been added to the job description, Mueller said.

Ozarks Literacy Council, 430 South Ave., Ste. 200, served more than 200 adults and 9,000 children in 2008, Mueller said, adding that she expects 2009 numbers to be similar or higher. The organization's programs include one-on-one tutoring, outreach events and partnerships with other nonprofits, such as sending free books home with children who are part of Ozarks Food Harvest's backpack programs, said Ozarks Literacy Council Program Director Nicole Thom-Arens.

While the Ozarks Literacy Council doesn't set fundraising goals, officials said its annual budget tends to range between $125,000 and $160,000.

For now, Ozarks Literacy Council board members are stepping up and filling in for many of the tasks Shumaker managed on a day-to-day basis.

"The biggest challenge is the Pizza Bowl, coming up Feb. 2. We've been devoting our time and energy to that to make sure it is a success," Mueller said of the annual fundraiser that raised $15,000 last year.

Shumaker said she's committed to help with the Pizza Bowl and is focusing on writing a booklet called "Finding Your Glass Slipper." She hopes to distribute it at Clear Channel Communications' Today's Woman Expo on Feb. 28 at the Springfield Expo Center.

She already distributes two e-newsletters - Monday Motivation for businesses, started in 1992, and A Little Help Along the Way to provide personal motivation to women, created in 2002.

Monday Motivation has approximately 100 paid subscribers and an estimated 30,000 readers, she said, noting that prices depend on the size of the business, starting at $9 annually.

"A medium size business would be $18, larger businesses would be $27 and up depending on the circumstances. One client buys (the subscription) and sends it out to all of his clients," she said.

Her women's e-newsletter has approximately 64 subscribers and costs $15 a year.

And she was recently paid for a short article she wrote to be published in Guideposts magazine, she said. Her goal is to get published in another national magazine this year.