Why Literacy Matters

From the time Ian (pictured above second from the right) was very young, his parents, Dana and Justin, knew something was different about the way Ian learned. As a kindergartner, he seemed to struggle with even the basics. Ian grew frustrated as he fell behind, sometimes becoming combative and yelling. His teacher told his parents that he was young and they shouldn't jump to conclusions. But Dana said, "In my heart of hearts, I felt like something was wrong."

Ian's parents had heard of dyslexia but didn't know much about it or what to do next. Then a friend told them about The Children's Dyslexia Center in Madison (CDC-M).

Click the link to read Ian's story

"We recognize the humanness in our students. We come here because of the American Dream. Education is part of that, good employment, and advancement," says Baltazar De Anda Santana, Director of Latino Academy of Workforce Development.

They work to help Latinos in the community gain education, employment, and training to achieve their American dream.

Click the link and watch their story

“Honestly, if I had failed the Math test [GED], I would have given up right there,” said Carlos Ortiz at the Racine Literacy Council’s premiere fundraiser, the “OPEN DOOR EVENT.” He passed his Math GED test and his confidence soared.

Carlos first enrolled at the RLC (Racine Literacy Council) in 2006, looking to improve his English before working on his dream goal of getting his GED.

This is his story.

In 2017, the Racine Literacy Council joined a collaborative initiative aimed at increasing GED attainment in Racine. There are over 15,000 Racine County residents without a high school diploma, attributing to a high unemployment rate.

Read more about their collaboration.

When Martha arrived from Mexico with her husband and two children, she felt alone and isolated. She didn’t know English, her new community, or the resources available to her. Discovering Casa Guadalupe in her community completely changed her outlook on life in her community.

Click her name to read her story.

"We wanted to create a safe place and welcoming space for Latinos and work with people to integrate them into the community,” said Noelle Braun, director of CGEC (Casa Guadalupe Education Center).

CGEC recognizes that integrating into a culture encompasses more than just learning to speak the language. Because of this, they offer a wide range of services such as a health literacy program, ESL programs, Spanish camps (which are also available for those wanting to learn Spanish), after-school reading programs and community bridge-building seminars, among others.

Click their name to find out more.

Darryl was in and out of the foster care system throughout his childhood. As an adult, he moved to a home for adults with intellectual disabilities.

When he came to LCV (Literacy Chippewa Valley), he wanted help with reading and to get his GED. He ended up with more confidence, basic literacy and math skills, and a job thanks to the help of Dorothy, his tutor.

Click on the photo to read their full story.

Dr. Stacy Martin, Dunn County Coordinator, is proud of the number of literacy programs LCV (Literacy Chippewa Valley) offers. Their programs include family literacy, one-to-one tutoring, and correctional literacy programs and they cover Eau Claire, Dunn, and Chippewa counties in northwestern Wisconsin.

Click on the photo and listen to Stacy share her favorite success story from the corrections program.

When Alejandro was 13, he moved from Mexico to Milwaukee with his family. He had to learn a new language and study at the same time. He struggled to keep up in school.

At age 19, he got in a car accident was sent to Racine Youthful Offender Correctional facility. He says, "That is when I decided to change my life and help others. I set myself a couple of short term goals like getting my HSED, getting a vocational [degree], completing all of my programs while in prison and improving my English."

Click his name to read Alejandro's story in his own words..

Julie Schultz, Adult Education Coordinator and Instructor of the Menominee Tribal Education Department, shares what makes Menominee Tribal Education Department unique, the challenges they face, and the successes.

Click image to watch the video.

 “My biggest challenge was proving that I could actually do something that people said I could never do-like graduate high school,” said Sherry.

In 2016, Sherry came from a group home for adults with intellectual disabilities. This May she will earn her HSED. Her work with FDL sparked a love of learning and she plans to continue her education after graduation.

In January 2019, Fond du Lac Literacy Services started a workplace literacy program at Eden Valders Stone Quarry where they are providing English Language instruction to 30 workers.

The innovative program serves as a unique solution to barriers to literacy like work schedule conflicts.

Antonia, a student at Adult Learning Center in 2018, completed her GED tests, earned a promotion at her job in security, and enrolled at MATC all within 8 months.

She started college-level courses even before crossing the stage for her GED completion ceremony in December.

The Kids Ranch works with vulnerable children between the ages of 6-10.

Their holistic approach includes a school year literacy program and summer day camp program including a naturalist, art therapist, and certified social worker.

Click the link above to watch their video.

Marisol Bravo started at Latino Academy of Workforce Development to pursue her GED. She wants to be a good role model for her daughters and is very excited about all the possibilities having her GED affords her.

Listen to her story

Learning to read can be a major feat for a child.  The vowels, consonants, fricatives and contractions all present complexities that can be hard to grasp, even for adult learners.  But for dyslexic learners the challenge can be even more complicated.  The Children’s Dyslexia Center of Madison (CDC) has been working to ease the challenges of dyslexic learners for the past 19 years and has proved to be helpful for more than 200 students.

Click the Name to Read More

Xochitl came to Literacy Green Bay in 2009 because she wanted to be able to read to her daughter in English and help her in school.

Xochitl said, “Some families make the children grow up really fast because they are the only ones who speak English. I didn’t want that for my daughter. That was one of the reasons I started learning English.”

Now she works as a Child Care Teacher in Literacy Green Bay’s ELEvate Family Literacy Program.

Click on her name to read her journey.

Initially formed to help those in the criminal justice system obtain GED certifications and other literacy skills, Buffalo Pepin County Literacy Alliance (BPLA) volunteers soon found that many other community members wanted access to GED accreditation, literacy services and continuing education, and they answered the call.

To read more, click the name above.

Jack, Maria, and their four children waited 8 years to immigrate to the United States from Zambia. Then both Jack and Maria worked for 5 more years on their English and Citizenship through the Literacy Council of Sheboygan County.

On November 1, 2018, they became U.S. Citizens. Jack says this about living in American, “You’re free. You have rights. You are safe—that’s a freedom. You go anywhere you want.”

Click their names to read more of their story

YWCA Southeast Wisconsin's mission to eliminate racism and empower women is at the heart of all they do.

The individuals who go through their HSED program have a life-changing experience that gives them confidence and the tools to succeed.

Click the image to watch their video.

Maria Ollarvez moved to America from Venezuela in 2016 with little knowledge of the English language. While she waited for an individual tutor to help her get individualized support and identify areas for growth, she participated in conversation circles at Fox Valley Literacy Council.

Click on her name to read more of her story.

72-year-old Lonnie Breitung accomplished many goals in his life. He worked as a farmhand, welder, machinist and is the proud grandfather of four. Yet, one goal that remained un-achieved was the ability to read. But in November of 2017, after encouragement from friends and neighbors, he sought out help from the Buffalo-Pepin County Literacy Council and became not only literate but also the 2018 ‘Learner of the Year.’

Read more of Lonnie's story in the Daily Mail.

Khao came to the United States three years ago from a Laos refugee camp, but works hard daily to get her GED and learn English. Click her name and read her story.

Tin dreamed of creating a safe life for his family in America. Read Tin's story in the above link.

A son brought his mother Mina into the Marathon County Literacy Council (McLit) and asked for help. She had just moved to Wausau from Morocco and didn't speak any English. Click on her name to hear more of her story.

Edwin dreaded opening his mail. He struggled to tell what was important from what was junk, and felt bombarded by words he couldn’t understand. Click the link above to read more about Edwin's story.

Recent GED/HSED graduate, Amanda Jones has enrolled in Madison College in the College Transfer Program. She is interested in a career in health.

Greater Waukesha Literacy piloted a National Work Readiness Certificate with fantastic results. Click on the link above, to read more about this program.

Reading Connections has been working with an adult male that suffered very significant brain trauma as a result of a motorcycle accident.

Read about how he has written a children's book.

Jim came to Jefferson County Literacy Council wanting to improve his quality of life. To read about what Jim accomplished, click on his name.

Layla and Katie, both parents, wanted to teach their daughters the importance of education by getting their own high school equivalency. Click their names, to read their story.

Determined to get her GED before December, Ana Claudia passed her final test on November 29, 2017! To read more about Ana, click her name above.

Mary Jo, an English Language tutor at One-to-One Adult Literacy Partners, inspired others to help give the gift of literacy.

Click on her name to read her story

Nicholas came to Journey House, his neighborhood literacy council, back in 2001 because he wanted to improve his English language skills. Through his work with Journey House, he received his GED in 2005 and now is working on his citizenship. Click on his name to read his story.

West CAP Literacy Program has been working with the Pierce County Jail to help improve the inmates literacy skills. They worked with the Pierce County Jail to establish a "Book Club" that provide books and other reading materials for inmates. To read more, click on the above.

Learner Stella, native English Speaker, came to Literacy Council of Green County in 2012, not reading a word. She now has her 1st job ever and spoke on Literacy Council of Green County’s behalf at a large gathering. Her self-esteem is very high for the first time in her life.

Cristina began studying with the Children First Family Literacy program in May of 2014. Click on her name to read about her achievements.

The winter Southeast Regional Meeting presented agencies with sustainability tools by Laura Sumner Coon and a discussion with Regina Smith, Dean of Milwaukee Area Technical College's School of Pre-College Education, on collaboration. Click the title to read more.

Regional meeting are one way that Wisconsin Literacy helps members face challenges and find solutions. Anna Bierer, Northeast Regional Consultant, held a recent meeting to discuss ideas and strategies to help her members. Click on the title to read more about the meeting and what was discussed.

Rosa has been attending English classes through Casa Guadalupe Education Center faithfully for the past few years. Click on her name to read her story.

Sara, a junior in high school was 6 months pregnant and worried about graduating when she began attending Hope Academy. Click on her name to read her story.

In the summer of 2015, Carmen Storlie decided that she wanted to pursue becoming an American citizen. Her tutor, Bonnie Sasse, contacted The Literacy Connection and they were delighted to provide as many materials as they could to assist in Carmen's preparation. Click on Carmen Storlie's name to read more of her story.

Howadia Hashim Laseke has been reaching her goals, one after the next. She began working with her first tutor at Fox Valley Literacy Council in 2012 to improve her English and became a U.S. Citizen in the same year. Click on her name to read more of her story.

Maria's life has changed for the better through her experience with Kenosha Literacy Council. Click on her name and read what she has to say about the experience.

Wisconsin Literacy wants to congratulate all of the participants in Latino Academy of Workforce Development’s Bilingual Construction Program on achieving employment at family sustaining wages!