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We are halfway there! Please donate today to help us reach our goal!
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Photo: Adult Literacy student Iris and her tutor Jan after Iris finished reading her first book
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"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."
~ Margaret Mead
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The Literacy Together community – YOU, our students, tutors, and board – is that group of thoughtful, committed citizens.
You care about our community.
Together, we have helped over 15,000 people reach their literacy goals in Buncombe County since our beginning 35 years ago. Children who were a part of our Youth Literacy program are now thriving as adults because they learned how to read and graduated high school or beyond. Hundreds of immigrants have improved their English skills and job prospects, and over 185 students passed the U.S. Naturalization exam to become citizens. Adults who never thought they would read found a second chance to learn and now read to their children or grandchildren.
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| Are you a Federal employee or retiree?
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Donations may be designated to Literacy Together (#50157) through the Combined Federal Campaign! You can give through payroll deduction/annuity throughout the year. Learn more here!
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| Our ESOL waiting list has 100 people
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Sixteen have been waiting for tutors longer than one year. Meet some of them:
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- Five single men of various ages had to leave their families behind in Afghanistan and have been here for a couple of years now. They are working but are still at a very basic level of English and want to learn more to improve their employment prospects.
- Pedro is the husband of our longtime student, Catalina. He primarily works out of town and wants an online class on Tues, Wed, or Thurs at 6 p.m. Catalina and Pedro are from Mexico and have five young kids who speak fluent English; they sometimes can't understand their children. Pedro needs to learn English to communicate better with his coworkers.
- Yosselin is from Honduras. She has a young daughter and wants to learn English for a better job. "I know that speaking in English will make my life so much better and easier; I also think it's a beautiful language and would love to speak it. " She wants an in-person class at her home in Candler on Wed or Fri 2 pm.
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October 2 - 6, 2023, was National Tutor Appreciation Week
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We want to THANK our tutors for their outstanding work and how they impact our students' lives and our community. Thank you for being the change you wish to see in the world! Here are some of our tutors' stories:
Mike (photo above) was with us for ten years and has had three (sometimes overlapping) students: one for five years, one for almost three years, and Olga for 5.5 years. He is now 88 years old, and he retired in March 2023. Watch Olga's experience working with Mike.
ESOL tutor Martha wrote this Mountain Xpress story about her experience tutoring Elaha, who had to leave Afghanistan in 2021.
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Adult Literacy student Bob tells how, after working very hard for three years with his wonderful tutor, Tim, he completed the entire 12-book Wilson Reading System.
If you are a tutor and would like to have your story featured, please email Laura@lit-together.org. Sharing your stories helps us to spread the word about Literacy Together's work. Thanks!
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Attend a fun event and support young children and their families!
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Join us on November 6, from 6-8:00 p.m. at Ginger's Revenge to celebrate early childhood education, literacy, and community. We're collecting donations through MountainXpress's Give!Local campaign.
We'll participate alongside other organizations that support early childhood education, including Buncombe Partnership for Children and the Verner Center for Early Learning.
There will be door prizes, camaraderie, and delicious beverages! Check out the details on Facebook.
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| We loved this sweet testimonial from Christi!
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"My family thinks of Dolly Parton as a Book Angel! My 4-year-old has continually enjoyed the books that come each month, and as a book-loving family, we could not be more thankful for a constant flow of books into our home. My little one has started “reading them” himself and telling me the stories recently. It’s delightful to watch him come to love books! What a precious gift!"
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Dolly Parton's Imagination Library puts books into the hands and hearts of children worldwide. We're mailing a free book monthly to over 5,200 registered children in Buncombe County.
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| We had so much fun at our annual picnic!
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Thanks to everyone who came to Malvern Hills Park!
Thanks to our talented ESOL student and photographer, Sergio, for gifting us these beautiful photos.
Thanks to Salvador Chávez, Delia, and Rico Suave for bringing their Zumba party and for everything they do in the community. You can join their Zumba classes at the YMCA!
We even saw the eclipse, thanks to Pete, who got glasses for all of us. You can see all the photos here.
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134 people have attended our online volunteer orientation meeting in 2023 so far. We've modified the format of our online orientation meeting to be more inclusive. Everyone is welcome to join us, from prospective volunteer tutors to community members to local business owners and nonprofits wanting to learn more about Literacy Together's work. This is what one participant said after the orientation meeting:
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The facts and statistics were new and interesting. I enjoyed learning about all the different programs offered by Literacy Together, and I'm looking forward to helping others and growing myself!
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| Upcoming Online Orientation Meetings
Tuesday, November 7th, 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Thursday, November 9th, 10:00 am - 11:00 am
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| Your generosity provides literacy services to our neighbors of every age.
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