Guest Opinion: I am thankful this Thanksgiving
My parents taught me the value of literacy at a very early age. My father was a voracious reader, always with a book in his hand in his free time. My mother taught me to read when I was very young. One of my earliest memories is dragging out all of my Golden books to read to my parents in the evening. I used to stay up past my bedtime reading with a flashlight under the covers so my parents wouldn’t know that I was still awake! I still read every night before I go to bed, only now with an iPad and without the flashlight! Our family outings were often to the bookstore. Literacy was how my family spent quality time together so for me, literacy brings back memories of family time. I am so grateful that my parents instilled in me a love for reading and the importance of literacy.
Nationwide 14 percent of adults have shown a “below basic” literacy level and as recently as the last decade, 20 percent of Floridians lacked basic prose literacy skills. The percentage of people lacking necessary the necessary literacy ability to earn degrees and find better jobs is about the same in Lee and Collier counties, and double in Hendry County.
Fortunately, this is changing in many aspects thanks to the efforts of Literacy Council Gulf Coast. My involvement with the Literacy Council is one way for me to pass my love of literacy to others. By doing so, I help open doors that would otherwise remain closed. I am thankful for the opportunity to have had the door to literacy opened in my life and the chance to help unlock that door for others in our community.
About Literacy Council Gulf Coast | Literacy Council Gulf Coast (LCGC) was formed in 1989 and this year marks their 26th anniversary providing free instruction for adults in reading and writing, ESL through the Carol DeJoy Moms and Tots Family Literacy and Kids+ Lifelong Literacy programs, GED preparation tutoring, citizenship classes, financial literacy, and technology literacy for disadvantaged young people. In 2014 LCGC was named the largest nonprofit literacy agency in the United States according to ProLiteracy. During the 2014-2015 school year, the Council served 3,868 students throughout Southwest Florida at more than 40 program locations in Lee, Collier, and Hendry Counties. For more information about the literacy programs in Southwest Florida, please contact Literacy Council Gulf Coast at contact@literacygulfcoast.org.
-? Sasha Williams has served on the board of directors of the Literacy Council Gulf Coast for almost two years.