Students

For everyone, everywhere, literacy is, along with education in general, a basic human right.
Kofi Annan

LVA’s students span a wide range of ethnic, national and socio-economic backgrounds. These adults have overcome numerous obstacles, and have taken the bold step to improve their literacy despite leading busy, challenging, and complex lives. Embarrassment, fear, isolation and lowered self-esteem are only a few of the personal difficulties they experience due to low literacy. Poverty, unemployment or under-employment, a reduced ability to participate in civic or religious programs or assist their children with school work are just a few of the factors that extend beyond their personal lives, negatively impacting their family, community, and our economy.

Below is the story of just one of the hundreds of successful students LVA serves:

Marla Scott had a difficult childhood. At an early age, she dropped out of school and became addicted to alcohol. But in 1996, Marla decided to make changes in her life. She joined a 12-step program and worked while attending night school to earn her GED. She failed the first test, but would not give up. Diagnosed with dyslexia, Marla was referred to Literacy Volunteers of Atlanta, where she was matched with a tutor who worked with her using techniques designed for students with dyslexia. Although she made progress in tutoring, the difficulties in her personal life were not over; she was dealt another crushing blow with the death of her younger sister. Despite this tragedy, Marla continued to work with her tutor, Randy. She credits Randy for “[giving her] the courage to stick with it when she didn’t want to,” for helping her in the up-hill battle against addiction, and for giving her the encouragement she needed to keep with the challenging task of achieving literacy. Today, Marla has moved up three reading levels and has greatly increased her vocabulary. She has re-enrolled in a GED program and plans to take the exam and then attend college. Her aspirations include writing her autobiography.

Each year, LVA helps hundreds of adults attain the reading, writing, and English speaking skills they need to find better jobs, assist their children with schoolwork, obtain their driver’s license or return to school. In our last fiscal year, our ESL and Basic Literacy Program served more than 300 adults! Our workplace and family literacy programs also strengthened the work skills of employees at Georgia Institute of Technology and children at Nesbitt Elementary School.

If you know someone that is struggling with their literacy or English speaking skills, remind them that they are not only. Approximately 20% of adults in America has low literacy skills. Encourage them to call LVA to start improve their literacy today.