In July 2011 five longstanding nonprofit organizations, Literacy Volunteers of Tucson, Reading Seed, Reach Out and Read Southern Arizona, Literacy for Life Coalition and Stories That Soar! merged to become Literacy Connects. Combined, the organizations had over 100 years of experience and created the largest nonprofit literacy provider in Arizona.
Combining the goals and experience of five nonprofits that had worked independently for many years was no easy task. Staff was eager to collaborate but housing the offices under one roof proved to be challenging. Administrative and adult program staff had offices on Speedway while the other programs stayed in their original locations. In 2014 Literacy Connects purchased a facility in one of Tucson’s highest-need areas at 200 E. Yavapai. All programs, except Stories That Soar!, came together under one roof.
There was a bigger “building” need than the brick and mortar at 200 E. Yavapai. The organization worked to build cooperation and structure between its new partner programs and to present the newly merged organization as one entity to the community. Literacy Connects’ groundbreaking Infusion Project was the first to integrate all of Literacy Connects’ programs and provided research and evidence-based literacy programs in an entirely new way.
Integration and collaboration have been vital to the organization’s role in the community. Habitat for Humanity is currently building nine homes on land purchased from Literacy Connects. Ground has been broken and wall raising on six of the homes is scheduled for early October 2018.
Partnership with International Rescue Committee began in 2017 when Literacy Connects invited their clients, immigrants and refugees from Rwanda, Burundi, Zambia, etc., to garden in the land east of the Yavapai building. The partnership has been equally enjoyable culminating in a Garden Launch Party complete with a band, dancing and indigenous food.
Building also takes form in addressing the critical needs of the Tucson community. Tucson was identified as the sixth-poorest metropolitan area in the U.S. Literacy Connects attacks Tucson’s high level of poverty at its roots by providing assets-based programs that provide a solid start for children and gives adult learners the tools they need to make substantial and sustainable changes in their lives.
It’s not uncommon to wonder how it came to be that an adult can’t read, write, do math or converse sufficiently. Literacy and education is like a pipeline that begins at birth and continues through early childhood education, K-12 education, higher education and the workforce. Ideally, each segment in the pipeline prepares an individual for the next phase of learning. In reality, only a small percentage of the population is able to travel smoothly and successfully through all phases. Individuals that fall behind early in life will have more difficulty catching up.
- Literacy begins before a child ever steps foot into a classroom.
- From kindergarten through third grade, most children learn to read. From fourth grade on, children read to learn.
- 64% of eighth graders are reading below grade level. This means that millions of young people cannot understand or evaluate text, provide relevant details, or support inferences about the documents they read.
- At more than 200 campuses, more than half of incoming students must take remedial courses.
- About 59 percent of students who began seeking a bachelor’s degree at a 4-year institution in fall 2009 completed that degree within 6 years.
- There is a direct relationship, economically and socially, between low adult literacy levels, unemployment, and poverty.
Because Literacy Connects’ programs address all ages, level of ability and individual goals, they have built an organization that is making an impact. The organization has fostered a community-wide understanding of literacy’s importance to the life, health and future of its citizens.
“It takes a village” doesn’t suffice in describing the effort behind a nonprofit. For Literacy Connects it requires the dedication of more than 1,000 volunteers providing nearly 56,000 hours and a staff of 26. This level of effort has been required every year for the past seven years and will continue to be required for many years to come.
The effort is certainly worth it. During the 2016-2017 fiscal year Literacy Connects made a substantial impact on the community by donating more than 97,000 books, reaching more than 46,000 learners in collaboration with 145 community sites. Individuals seeking literacy support need only bring a desire to learn. There is no payment, documentation or other requirement to receive support in building on their existing skills.
While individuals build their skills, Literacy Connects continues to build as well. The new Youth Center, housed on Yavapai, is expected to be done in early 2019. Stories That Soar! will finally be on site, bringing all the Literacy Connects programs under one roof for the first time since the merger. Plans are still in development, but the Youth Center will be a place for children to gather, play and learn and for community partners to use. The Youth Center will be a very real, tangible example of how Literacy Connects continues to grow and be a vital part of the community.
Looking back over time, it’s easy to let the years meld together. But hindsight often provides a sense of accomplishment, clarity, understanding and an eagerness to address the challenges and opportunities to come. This is true for Literacy Connects.
