50 years, 50 Stories: Story #4 Washtenaw Literacy

Giving Families the Foundation for a Better Life

In Washtenaw County, 1 in 6 adults can barely read or write. That puts them at higher risk for poverty, health problems, and a lower standard of living. It also increases the likelihood that their children will grow up to be illiterate.
Since 1971, Washtenaw Literacy, Michigan's oldest literacy organization, has provided free, customized literacy tutoring tailored to the individual needs, goals, challenges, and life circumstances of each person they serve. In all, the agency has trained approximately 10,000 volunteers, who have helped more than 20,000 adults learn to read. And 90 percent of those adult learners have reached at least one of their goals—such as finding a better job, obtaining their GED, or earning U.S. citizenship.

Over time, AAACF and its donors have contributed more than $100,000 to support local literacy programs. A $20,000 grant in 2010 for Washtenaw Literacy's mentoring program helped the agency maintain its capacity to support 700 volunteer literacy tutors who serve nearly 2,000 adults each year. As literacy tutor and Washtenaw County Administrator Verna McDaniel notes: "The return on investment from giving families the ability to read is a gift in perpetuity."

One of the many ways the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation supports all that is good in our community.
 
Read more "good" stories at: www.aaacf.org/stories