| Thank you for taking the time to check
our volunteer/donor page.
As the Executive Director of Literacy Volunteers of Eastern Orange
County, Inc. (LVEOC) I need to share a frightening secret with you.
In ours, one of the world’s richest nations, 23% of all adult
Americans are illiterate. If you are not appalled by this shocking
statistic I suggest that you need to take a look at this horrendous
inequity for the sake of the world in which we live.
In Newburgh, the situation is far more critical: one third of all
adults cannot read their child’s report card or the instructions
on a prescription bottle or the names printed on an election ballot.
They come from every generation and from every ethnic group. They
are both native-born and immigrants. And they are frustrated, embarrassed,
and ashamed.
To hide their humiliating secret, they wear reading glasses they
don’t need, carry pens they cannot use, and clutch unread
newspapers like a shield. Their inability to read denies them equal
participation in our nation and robs our economy, government, and
society of the potential benefits of their full involvement. We
all suffer. Democracy - government of, for, and by the people- cannot
work for this country if its citizens cannot read.
So what can you – a confident reader – do to help?
An important way for you to help is by enabling us to attack our
staggering illiteracy rate with your financial support. Another
way is to consider joining us as a tutor. Let us know how you will
help on the attached commitment form. You can make a big difference
in someone’s life for only 90 minutes per week!
Literacy Volunteers of Eastern Orange County, Inc. (LVEOC) invites
you to become our partner in the removal of illiteracy in Newburgh
and its surrounding areas. To honor every one of your family and
friends who can read, give a tax-deductible donation to LVeoc today.
With your dollars we can reach everyone who wants to learn to read.
With your dollars we can help them escape their frustration, shame
and embarrassment. With your dollars we can train a larger pool
of volunteer tutors and purchase instructional materials to help
them do their job. With your dollars we can channel a committed
business community’s efforts to remedy this problem and set
a model for the rest of America. If Newburgh gets behind us, believe
it, the country will sit up and take notice.
You have the power to guarantee that there are more readers in
our world. Thank you!
Sincerely,
Roanne Patterson
LVeoc Executive Director
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