Let's celebrate literacy today
- About 14 percent of people in the U.S. struggles with illiteracy.
- In FY 2013-14, Literacy Council's volunteers gave 86,784 hours, valued at close to $2 million.
Today is International Literacy Day and the Literacy Council Gulf Coast Inc. invites you to celebrate it!
UNESCO ascertains literacy as a human right, a tool of personal empowerment and a means for social and human development. The Literacy Council believes that literacy also provides the foundation for lifelong learning, high-earning potential, and stronger families.
About 14 percent of people in the U.S. struggles with illiteracy, which correlates directly with earning potential and poverty. Low literacy levels are linked to poor health, fewer economic opportunities and a lifetime on welfare.
According to the Barbara Bush Foundation, many of the nation's children who come from disadvantaged families suffer even greater challenges, unable to gain the necessary literacy skills to match their peers, skills that are essential to building their future success.
The population for Lee County is projected to be 649,801 according to county budget documents. According to the census, 21.2 percent of Lee County residents speak a language other than English at home. That means nearly 138,000 residents are non-native English speakers. These moms and dads, children, and family members encounter obstacles to learning in school, performing at their jobs, getting promotions, or reaching their personal goals.
Literacy Council Gulf Coast is a nonprofit agency that has served Southwest Florida for 25 years. Its mission is to assist adults and children to acquire the literacy skills necessary to improve their quality of life. According to ProLiteracy, LCGC is the largest nongovernmental, nonprofit literacy organization in the United States serving students and families in Lee, Hendry, and Collier County.
The Council offers free instruction for adults in reading and writing, English for Speakers of Other Languages through the Carol DeJoy Moms and Tots Family Literacy and Kids+ programs, GED preparation tutoring, citizenship classes, financial literacy, and technology literacy for disadvantaged young people.
Our family program gives disadvantaged parents with their at-risk children the opportunity to learn in a collaborative environment. The goal of this program is to prepare young children to begin school speaking English, strengthen the family bond, and assist mothers improve their English skills as well as practical skills. According to program surveys, 100 percent of the children who graduate from our Moms and Tots® Family Literacy Program began school performing at, or above, average in school.
Last year, the Literacy Council served 4,072 clients, of which 1,442 were mothers with their small children. In partnership with the Lee County School District, The Literacy Council Gulf Coast's Kids+ Lifelong Learning program taught English to 935 students at 17 area Title I schools. The schools continue to report increased volunteerism by the parents.
Serving as a United Way Resource House host agency in Bonita Springs, the Literacy Council Gulf Coast partners with over 25 agencies. Some partners include Goodwill, Hope Hospice, ACT, Bonita Assistance, Healthy Start, Cafe of Life, Catholic Charities, Family Health Centers, Red Cross, Early Head Start, FGCU, Florida SouthWestern State College, local health care providers, area churches and city facilities, libraries and area banks.
In 2014, Independent Sector, a coalition of nonprofits, foundations, and corporate giving programs, calculated the value of volunteer work at $22.55 per hour. In fiscal year 2013-14, the Literacy Council's volunteers gave 86,784 hours to students and the council, valued at close to $2 million at that rate.
Because of a strong fiscal management, we are able to offer our literacy program to students for less than $200 per person for a year. That means that an investment of $200 will change a person's life and enhance our community's social infrastructure. This investment is amplified through the generosity of more than 750 volunteer tutors.
Join us if you need to improve your language and reading skills. Or if you would like a rewarding volunteer opportunity helping to change lives, give us a call at 239-676-5202 for more information. On the Web, we're at literacygulfcoast.com.
Let's work together to unleash the power of literacy to make a dramatic difference in the lives of children and families in our community!
Susan Acuna, president and CEO, Literacy Council Gulf Coast, Bonita Springs