Give the gift of Literacy!

As the holiday season approaches, we know many of you would like to make a difference in your community. On this Giving Tuesday Literacy Volunteers of the Montachusett Area could use your help.

In this era of “fake” news and the internet, literacy is more important than ever. According to the Mass. State Assessment of Adult Literacy, 32 % of adults are at basic or below basic skill levels for comprehending, and using information from newspapers and instructional materials.

Literacy Volunteers of the Montachusett Area can help. For almost 50 years we have been serving adults in 29 communities - from Gardner to Acton. Our mission continues to be empowering adults to become fluent and literate members of their community. We serve both native English speakers and adults for whom English is an additional language. We do this by training volunteer tutors, assessing students, matching tutors to students, and supporting them in their work. Our students are then equipped to get better jobs, become citizens, and actively participate in their community.

Thanks to past donations, we were able to help many adults to improve their literacy skills and to thrive in their community. We helped them to become more independent and self-confident. Let us share one of these SUCCESS STORIES with you.

Rita is in her early 50s and she was not able to read or write. Insecure and embarrassed, Rita did not go out much. 5 months ago, she was matched with her tutor Jim. Jim expects a lot from her, but Rita is extremely eager to learn. Now she has read over 20 books, has her own little library, she gets out of the house more, attends parties, she has even been to the theater for the first time in her life after her tutor gifted her tickets if she read the play before she went. ‘Jim has taught me so much more than reading, he opened my world’. Jim really enjoys his time with Rita. He says: ‘I never thought that I would get so much out of tutoring. I recently retired, but Rita gave me purpose. I am still needed’.

Our goal in 2023 is to tutor sixty students. With your help on Giving Tuesday, we will have the funds to offer more tutor trainings and support more tutors and students throughout the region.

Your help will make a difference!