Why Literacy Matters
Over 1 million people in Wisconsin need help building literacy skills. With literacy support, adults and children:
- learn to read and understand math;
- earn their GED credential;
- understand their health;
- improve their spoken and written English; and
- build work readiness skills.
With Wisconsin Literacy, literacy programs across Wisconsin can gain strength and sustainability to do the groundwork. Donate to strengthen literacy statewide.
Success Stories
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May Oo nods enthusiastically, “We need to learn English to understand this country [and] for this country to understand us."
May Oo arrived as a refugee from Myanmar with her 5-year old son in 2013. She began her journey in the United States like many other refugees, joining English Language classes like those offered at Neighborhood House's International Learning Program.
Later, she took citizenship classes all the while raising her son and growing her sushi franchise.
This is her story.
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Neighborhood House's International Learning Program serves refugees from mostly war-torn countries.
Many students have never been to school nor held a pencil before. These students, even their elderly refugees 60 or older, are learning remotely with Google Classroom, online quizzes, and Zoom meetings.
"Digital literacy skills have never been put to more use than they are now," shares Cynthia Zarazua, Program Manager.
Watch their story.
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Elin Noe Perez worked on the processing line at a meat packaging facility for ten years. The work started to affect his health, particularly the use of his hands. Although he tried to interview for a promotion, he was nervous and struggled with English, his second language.
Then, he decided to improve his English and study for his U.S. Citizenship at Fox Valley Literacy.
This is his story
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Building relationships are key to FVL’s success. “Because we have a close relationship with people, they trust us in other matters, a resource to navigate the community,” Brian Leone Tracy, Executive Director, states.
This year, they will serve over 300 people through the close, personalized connection of tutors, and some small conversation groups.
This is their story
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“Each and every person who goes to interview and passes is cause for celebration,” shares Pat Giese, tutor at Jefferson County Literacy Council who has guided students through U.S. citizenship preparation since 2010. She identifies empathy as a powerful tool to connect with students and prepare for this important, life-changing goal.
Click her name to read her story.
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For 20 years, Jefferson County Literacy Council (JCLC) delivered its literacy programs across eight different communities without interconnecting transportation.
JCLC rises to meet any challenge it faces - even the COVID pandemic.
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Yannick, a student with Literacy Services of Wisconsin, arrived in the United States from Cameroon a few years ago.
He was hired to work on the floor at Penzey's Spices. As a native French speaker, he had trouble with the speed and content of American speech, so he enrolled at LSW. Yannick has a degree in Engineering, as well as experience in computer science. He and his tutor began to explore what he could offer his employer beyond the job description for which he was hired.
Listen to his story.
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"We're trying to look at the broader impact of our work and how adult literacy is interconnected to so many issues. How it impacts families and communities when we engage adults in the different programs that we offer."
Holly McCoy, Executive Director of Literacy Services of Wisconsin, shares why adult literacy is essential to building stronger communities.
Listen to their story.
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Lili Vera and Gordon Williams, her tutor, have met regularly for one and a half years and steadily Lili's life changed "totally - forever."
When COVID-19 closures shutdown in person meetings, Lili refused to quit. She knew that somehow they'd have to figure it out. Now, she and Gordon meet via Zoom for their one-on-one studies.
Click the link above to read more of their story.
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With safety measures, shifting public health information, and local resurgences of the COVID-19 pandemic, the landscape of literacy tutoring is changing.
Kristy SeBlonka, Co-Director of PCLC (Portage County Literacy Council), chatted with us about tutoring and offering literacy support during the pandemic. PCLC adapted quickly. They shifted their fundraiser online and offered training and support transitioning learners and tutors to virtual connections - Zoom, Facebook Live, WhatsApp, and the classic telephone call.
Click the link to read more of their story
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When Oanh came to Walworth County Literacy Council (WCLC), her goals were to be a good parent (she has sons ages 10 and 8), attain Citizenship, and improve her English.
The path to success wasn’t easy for Oanh. Click her name to read her story.
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WCLC helps adults in Walworth County achieve their educational goals, primarily through one on one instruction meeting once or twice a week. These pairs work on reading, English as a second language, citizenship preparation, and G.E.D. preparation.
Click the name to read their story.
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For 22 years, Lindsay Hyland has been an integral part of the Literacy Council of Green County. As a tutor and mentor, she offers her knowledge freely, with humility.
She shared her many skills with hundreds of learners and beyond to others connected to the Spanish speaking community in Monroe, Wisconsin.
This is her story.
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"We do more than teach English," says Ellen Hossman, Executive Director of Literacy Council of Green County. "We encourage community building. . . most of our tutors become part of their learner's families."
Along with one-to-one and small group instruction, learners and tutors at the Council share each other's culture and each other's lives.
Listen to their story.
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Joe Grignon of Keshena, Wisconsin is a graduate of Menominee Tribal Education’s GED Prep Program. His experience in high school was sometimes difficult. Joe fell behind and was not able to catch up in time to graduate with his peers.
The GED Prep Program gave him a chance to move forward in life.
Click his name to read his story
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Journey House's THRIVE (Transforming, Healthy, Reliable, Inspiring, Valued, and Employable) Training and Internship Program prepares participants for careers in Banking, Culinary Arts/Hospitality/Barista, Retail, Construction & Architectural Design, Emergency Services, Manufacturing, Sports Turf Management & Landscaping, Food & Agriculture, Green Economy, and STEAM through industry recognized certificate training programs.
To learn more about the THRIVE program, go to http://www.journeyhouse.org/workforce.html
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“I used to be depressed. I didn’t have a positive escape. I felt like I was always trapped at home, bored, always feeling sad, worried about what other people thought of me. Then, I came, I learned, and I succeeded!” Travis shared shortly after obtaining his 5.09 HSED (high school equivalency).
Click on his name to read his story
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Deb Helquist, Coordinator of Sawyer County Adult Literacy, shares about the "very beautiful work."
This all-volunteer run literacy organization shares their passion to help learners earn their high school equivalency and improve their literacy skills in northwestern Wisconsin.
Listen to their story.
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Ruth Riesch met a farmer in the Emergency Room in the hospital where she worked couldn't read enough to fill out his hospital form. That interaction stuck with her for years.
When she retired, she decided to do something to help literacy in her community and became a tutor at Marinette and Oconto Counties.
She has helped learners start their own businesses, learn the names of tools to communicate better at work, and practice speaking with staff at their children’s schools.
Click her photo to read her story.
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It all started with healthcare. Janet Glime, President of Marinette and Oconto Counties Literacy Council, was working as a nurse when she started noticing hospital patients who struggled to read.
She checked local literacy rates and found that the highest need came from the rural areas.
The literacy council came to serve both Marinette and Oconto counties in Northeastern Wisconsin. The program uses one-to-one tutoring so that the learner and tutor can focus on the learner’s specific goals.
Click the name to read their story.
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Reyna's son was diagnosed with Autism and she wanted to speak English to communicate with health care providers and the school.
After 6 years of tutoring and classes at Literacy Network of Dane County, Reyna is happy with her progress. She said, "I can fight for my children's rights and my rights too."
Click her name to her story.
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Jeff Burkhart, Executive Director of Literacy Network of Dane County, says, "This is one of the biggest impacts that you can make in the community . . by being a tutor and supporting the programs that we offer."
Literacy Network of Dane County provides a wide range of programs including individualized tutoring and workplace literacy tailored to employer/employee needs.
Click photo to hear more about Literacy Network
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Jesus, a talented pastry chef and owner of Todo Postres bakery, came to Journey House to improve his English. He wanted to expand his business to an English speaking clientele.
Click his name and read his story.
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Congratulations to Journey House on their 50th anniversary! Now one of the biggest programs in Milwaukee, they teach basic skills and GED in both English and Spanish.
Journey House offers on-site childcare and evening classes to support adult learners. They buy and refurbish homes and improve local Baran Park to support their neighborhood.
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Cristina came to the United States from Mexico in 2006. Two years later, she began English Language classes at Literacy Green Bay.
She was determined to improve her English skills and set a goal of obtaining citizenship. On April 4, 2019, she became a US Citizen.
Click on her photo to read Cristina's Story
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Literacy Green Bay (LGB) works with learners to develop rudimentary skills (how to form the letters and hold a pencil) and takes them all the way to forming sentences and paragraphs and even earning their citizenship or GEDs.
Click the photo to watch Literacy Green Bay's Story
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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
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"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
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“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.
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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.
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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.
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"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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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“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.
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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.
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Meet Antonia from Adult Learning Center - Milwaukee
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.
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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.
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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
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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
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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This educational workshop helped users navigate the web, find reliable health information online, and make the most of their online resources. Community members got iPads to follow along the workshop presentation and had hands-on experience doing health searches.
Past Member Success Stories
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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.
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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.
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Mr. Jose Ciprian-Ramirez started working on his HSED at the Kettle Moraine Correctional Institution in September of 2017. At first, he struggled to find the value in what he was doing, but with each passed test he gained the momentum to earn his HSED on July 5th.
Click on his name and read his Graduation Speech.
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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.
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Tin dreamed of creating a safe life for his family in America. Read Tin's story in the above link.
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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.
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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.
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Meet Amanda from Omega School
Recent GED/HSED graduate, Amanda Jones has enrolled in Madison College in the College Transfer Program. She is interested in a career in health.
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Greater Waukesha Literacy piloted a National Work Readiness Certificate with fantastic results. Click on the link above, to read more about this program.
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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.
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Jim came to Jefferson County Literacy Council wanting to improve his quality of life. To read about what Jim accomplished, click on his name.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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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.
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Meet Stella with Literacy Council of Green County Ltd.
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.
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Cristina began studying with the Children First Family Literacy program in May of 2014. Click on her name to read about her achievements.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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!