Literacyworks Center’s Origin Story
Meeting with Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey at her Rayburn House Office Building office in 2012, I wanted to talk to her about the work Literacyworks was doing with low literacy adults for the US Department of Education. Lynn had positioned herself as one of Congress's foremost advocates of education issues (she sat on the Education and Workforce Committee). I was excited to meet with her in her homey Congressional office.
She could not have been more gracious and friendly. We had many mutual interests, and she seemed genuinely interested in our literacy work.
Fast forward to 2014. Lynn was retired and back home in Petaluma. She and I started talking about the fact that the average American adult had a reading level of a 7th grader; that business owners have complained for years to her that they could not find workers who could read, write and learn at a college level. So what could we do? Lynn and I came with the Literacyworks Center program to help low-literacy, low-income adults enroll and succeed at SRJC.
Literacyworks Certificate of Congressional Recognition
We started the Center in 2015 with 40 students and a generous scholarship grant from a private family foundation. By 2016, we were growing to an average of 100 students plus per semester. The Center's proof-of-concept was working, helped by Lynn's support and experience, in addition to the aid of SRJC President Frank Chong and Jane Saldaña-Talley, Vice President of Academic Affairs. Founding support also came from the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria, Redwood Credit Union, and the Marin Community Foundation. The Center is still changing lives today.
Since its conception, the Center's success was because of the excellence of our staff, board, and the Friends of the Literacyworks Center members. They all share enthusiastically in the Center's mission and vision and its values of leadership, professionalism, collaboration, and assisting the hardest to serve members of our society.
For twenty-six years, Literacyworks has served as a trainer and resource for adult schools, library literacy programs, and other basic skills programs throughout Alaska, Hawaii, Pacific Islands, and the western United States.
Literacyworks Center Students at Circle of Honor SRJC Campus 2016
Literacyworks Center is celebrating its seventh year of operation. We are privileged to work with a group of amazing individuals. To be part of the program, each of our participants must read and write below college level. Many are parents. All of them are working. And many are facing challenges such as low income, housing and transportation issues, and a lack of experience in academia. But what they all have in common is a resilient spirit that allows them to work through the difficulties and focus on their future with optimism and determination.
Here are a few of their stories.
Aaron had great difficulty in high school. He didn't see himself as a student. He entered the JC well below college level with very few study skills. But as he progressively found the seeds of intellectual curiosity, he became more determined to succeed. With the support of some inspirational professors and the staff of Literacyworks, he claimed his future with confidence and humility.
Aaron graduated with honors and transferred to UC Berkley with a full scholarship. In a recent conversation, he shared that he, even in the middle of a pandemic, could graduate from Berkley.
He is now working with a Latino youth program giving back to the Sonoma community while he investigates PH. D programs.
Maria is a single mom who started the program in English as a Second Language class. She worked tirelessly to provide for her children, cleaning houses. Her upbeat attitude and enthusiasm made her a pleasure to work with. As she progressed in classes with Literacyworks support, Maria began taking credit classes in business and math. She still takes one class a semester, but her startup business is taking off, and she has a staff of 12 working with her.
She speaks with appreciation about the support she received that help launch the next phase of her career.
Diana is married and has two beautiful daughters. She came to the United States when she was 13 years old, speaking no English. She tells a wonderful story about a sweltering day and how she wanted ice cream, but she couldn't ask because she couldn't speak English. It was then that she decided to throw herself into the study of English at the JC.
Diana quickly moved through the classes and reached college-level English and math. Her drive did not slow down. She has completed the pre-nursing classes and will complete the nursing program at the JC this fall. She refers to Literacyworks as "having her back" on this long road to her goal. Good luck, Diana.
