Did you notice it?

​It may have gone unnoticed last week during Adult Education and Family Literacy Week. There were some great things going on at the Literacy Council. For one, at Mayor Berger’s Press briefing last Wednesday our director, Ken Blanchard,  said something people may have missed. He addressed it in a letter to the editor in the Lima News. But also this month, the Literacy Council not only got a new art park thanks to volunteers from a Husky team, but the council also received a major donation from two community business partners. Husky Energy and Potash. The donations respectively keep a tutor on the payroll and help pay off the mortgage on our office. And we can’t thank them enough for helping us keep doing our work with adult students.
 
So, why did two of the largest corporations in Lima donate to us? For one thing, they know us. And they know what we do. They trust us and they think Literacy in Lima is as is important as we do.

The facts

Or did you notice this? The release of the ALICE report (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) yesterday by the United Way of Greater Lima highlighted this large group of people within our community that are working but still struggling to make ends meet. (Lima Allen County comes in at 31% in poverty, and 15.5% unemployment!) Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, this population also comprises our target population of low literate readers and those that have no high school diploma, or worse, a diploma but still fall in the 1 in 6 in our community that read at a third grade level or below.  These are the people we serve. You will be hearing a lot more about the ALICE report and what we and all of the United Way agencies are doing to impact and improve the next report, and more importantly, the people and families behind the report.

What one person can do

The Literacy Council is always looking for volunteers to help with our efforts. Primarily,  that is done by becoming a tutor for another adult. The only requirement to become a tutor is the desire to share the love of reading with another.  If that is not possible, consider a donation to the Literacy Council. Any amount is deeply appreciated in our efforts to help all of our fellow citizens. 
To learn how to donate, how to become a tutor or just to show your support, email bhirn@limaliteracy.net.