When was the last time you drove to the ocean?
Literacy: A License to Independence
At his high school graduation ceremony more than 20 years ago, Bobby received a certificate of completion. It showed that he attended school, but not that he would earn a diploma. Bobby remembers feeling deceived and invalidated, as though he wasn’t smart enough to learn to read and earn his diploma. For two decades, that piece of paper served as a constant reminder, weighing heavily on him about the goals others told him were out of reach.
His experience is far from unique. Research shows that students with low literacy levels are four times less likely to graduate from high school, and 15% of Buncombe County adults struggle with basic literacy. Our intake process for each new student reveals systemic struggles: childcare, juggling multiple work schedules, transportation, undiagnosed learning disabilities – barriers that make returning to learning feel out of reach for many adults.
Last year, Bobby found new hope for his future working alongside his tutor, Tim. Together, they set out to conquer one of Bobby’s major life goals: to earn his driver’s license. This requires reading and correctly answering 20 of 25 written questions about traffic laws and road rules.
“I have learned more words in the last year at Literacy Together than in the previous 15–20 years,” Bobby says. Words like yield, intersection, and pedestrian are now familiar as he prepares for the driver’s test, and ultimately, for life as a driver.
Bobby has lived his entire life in Asheville and has never seen the ocean. Bobby and Tim are hopeful that he can take the written test for his permit sometime this spring. He can’t wait to visit the beach and walk barefoot on the sand, hopefully with the company of his 10-year-old niece.
The Work Is Growing
Since 1986, we have shown up for learners across Buncombe County. And during those 40 years, you have continued to show up for us. As we mark this milestone, the need in our community is greater than ever, and so is our resolve to meet it. Your support allows us to meet the growing demands within our community:
- There are 85+ adults on our waitlist for a tutor, some waiting for up to six months.
- We have referrals for more than 100 K-5 students in Buncombe County schools who are learning English and need immediate language and reading support.
- Our Literacy Leaders internship creates economic opportunity for high school students who want to support struggling readers.
Your financial contribution sustains our work, ensuring we can show up for every learner who comes through our door.
Literacy Is the Key
A driver’s license. A job application. A prescription label. A lease. A school form brought home by a child. While these are often seen as ordinary moments, they are important milestones for adults overcoming literacy challenges.
Literacy is the foundation to growth and expansion. It’s what allows a father to read a bedtime story to his child, and in doing so, change the trajectory of that child’s life. It’s what allows a worker to qualify for a promotion that leads to a living wage. It’s what allows a woman who arrived in Asheville speaking no English to advocate for herself at a doctor’s appointment, without the need for an interpreter.
“Being able to drive a car by myself will give me a sense of independence that I’ve never experienced before”
–Bobby, Adult Literacy student
40 Years Strong and Just Getting Started
As we celebrate four decades of this work, we do so with clear eyes. The need in our community is growing, and our team is prepared to meet that need with quality instruction, rich partnerships, and an expanding network of supporters like you. Help us train tutors, open classroom doors, and put learners one step closer to the lives they are working toward.
Will you help Bobby get one step closer to the ocean?
