LITERACYWORKS CHANGES LIVES
WHY
We believe in supporting every individual who seeks to improve their position in life.
HOW
We serve low-literacy adults by providing encouragement, financial and educational support and by partnering with community groups to promote success.
WHAT
We serve adults by increasing their literacy and basic skills so they are able to secure better jobs, manage their personal lives, advocate for themselves, enhance their parenting skills, and contribute more to their community.
NEED
Proficient literacy skills are critical to an individuals’ prosperity & well-being. A literate population drives community vitality, health & economic growth.
Fall 2019 Funding Campaign
The Literacyworks Center has begun a campaign for $30,000 to enroll an additional ten students in our program for this Fall semester.
The Center is changing lives. All of our adults are low-income, low-literacy members of our community and are the first in their family to go to college. Many are parents. All are underserved. Their perseverance in reaching their educational goals encourages their children to excel in school and follow their example to attend college. One parent’s child said proudly to her friends: “My mom is going to college, and I’m going to go too.”
We are asking you to support a student or several starting this Fall semester. For a $3,000 gift, you will enable a Center student to reach their goals and stay in school for a full academic year. We do whatever it takes to help our adults succeed in college, but we can’t do it without you. Your gift creates meaningful change for our students, families, and their communities. It will help them acquire the basic skills to access career and technical education and living wage jobs. Any donation amount will help.
For donation options, go to the Literacyworks Donation page at http://www.literacyworks.org/donate
Nineteen Center students passed their GED
Many of the Center’s students did not complete high school when they were younger. There are a wide variety of reasons for this, but it is essential to many of these individuals to complete their high school degree. Doing this both demonstrates the value of education to their children and allows them to further their college education, providing them the skills to get a better job. So, for many, their first step with the Center program is taking GED (General Education Diploma) or High School Equivalency Certificate classes at Santa Rosa Junior College. The difficulty of the GED tests should not be underestimated. It is intended to be the equivalent of passing all the requirements of four years of high school. This summer, 19 of the Center’s students passed their GED, and a wonderful celebration was held for them. This is, in some sense, both the ending of one significant challenge and the beginning of a new opportunity.
New Center Alumni Program
The Center is initiating a new Alumni program this fall semester. All Center students started their education below college level in reading, writing, and math. Now, after four years of supporting students in their educational goals, we now have eleven graduates. This means these individuals have moved from basic skills classes and ESL (English as a Second Language) classes to fulfilling the requirements to receive an Associate’s Degree.
The Alumni program has two primary purposes. The first is to stay in contact with our students as they continue their four-year university studies, and second to provide insights and inspiration for our current program participates. A number of students have formed close bonds with one another so that staying connected after graduation may be a way to share stories, challenges, and ideas. We envision at least one annual meeting held over semester break so folks going to universities out of the area may be able to attend. We will invite alumni to visit the frequently held workshops for our current students. We believe that having our alumni talk about their experiences at the university and discuss the challenges and rewards of furthering their education is important. It serves as an inspiration for Center participants who are often struggling with the competing demands of school, work, and family. Aaron S., one of our graduates, has agreed to take a lead role in getting the Alumni program off the ground. Aaron currently attends UC Berkeley.
- Chris Schultz, Director of the Center
