Program Description

A teen mom high-school dropout needs guidance regarding the importance of reading to her child as early as zero months; the same mom needs assistance in finding the appropriate program to improve her reading skills in order to continue her education. A twenty-three year old male realizes that he needs help to pass the General Educational Development (GED) exam to increase his employability status.

Rehospitalization of a child due to improper use of medication prompted a parent's request for assistance with reading. A fifty-two year old grandmother, reading at a second grade level, privately pleads for an opportunity to learn to read better to keep the job that she has been able to manage for twenty years prior to increased technology. A productive, small, non-profit literacy program needs materials to keep afloat. This litany of examples allows a glimpse of the thousands of scenarios that drive the work of The Gary Literacy Coalition, Inc. (GLC).

The Gary Literacy Coalition, Inc. provides literacy focus in four targeted areas:

  1. creating awareness of the importance of literacy to health, economic development, and family well-being
  2. connecting learners and volunteers to the appropriate programs and services
  3. supporting and providing programs and instructional materials to improve literacy
  4. securing resources to develop, support and expand literacy programs

The involvement and commitment of literacy partners continue to allow GLC to demonstrate success in providing access to literacy opportunities across the life-span that translate to the attainment of learner literacy goals. These collaborative efforts build the capacity and effectiveness of literacy services, mobilize resources to support literacy, advocate for opportunities that benefit residents at the lowest level of literacy, enhance awareness of the need for literacy services, and address the impact of literacy as it relates to health.