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Happy National Volunteer Month!
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Marilyn Cortes, former Literacy Together Board Chair and literacy champion, shares her powerful “why”
As a healthcare worker, Marilyn witnessed firsthand how literacy directly impacts individuals’ health and well-being.
Fat, flu, pill, allergic, jaundice, anemia, fatigue, directed, colitis, constipation, osteoporosis. These are the words in a screening tool called the REALM-R that healthcare workers use to screen for literacy. The results of this short screening tool help us to determine the best way to educate our patients on their post-surgery instructions, medications, sliding scale for diabetes management, and home care instructions. The first three words technically aren’t part of the score and are only there to make the individual more comfortable.
As a healthcare worker, it was hard to see how many of my patients couldn’t read the words on this scale, even the first three words. These are people that aren’t able to read the label on their medication bottle, post-op instructions, and red flags, when and where their appointments are. These are people that are at a higher risk of hospitalization and they need our help.
This was what inspired me to join Literacy Together in their efforts to help the literacy crisis in our community. I’ve seen the life-changing (and potentially life-saving) work that they do. There are multiple ways that you can help with this work, including serving as a volunteer tutor, supporting Literacy Together financially, and spreading awareness in Buncombe County for the need to help address the literacy crisis. Together, we can help keep our neighbors healthier and safer.
Marilyn Lindsley Cortes
Doctor of Physical Therapy
What’s health literacy?
With approximately 54% of American adults reading below a sixth-grade level, many face significant challenges related to health literacy, including:
Higher hospitalization rates: Individuals with low health literacy often rely on emergency departments for primary care, straining resources and increasing readmission rates within weeks.
Poor chronic condition management: Misunderstanding treatment plans can lead to complications in managing illnesses such as diabetes or hypertension, requiring additional time and effort from healthcare providers.
Limited preventive care: Low health literacy contributes to missed vaccinations and screenings, increasing health risks.
Increased costs: These issues result in an estimated $106–$238 billion annually in additional healthcare expenses.
Literacy breaks down barriers to understanding and fosters health equity across communities.
Sources: Proliteracy.org and The Policy Circle.
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Become a volunteer tutor and support adults who want to improve their literacy skills
Pisgah Investments Foundation Funds 13 New ESOL Classes around Buncombe County
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Look at this birthday celebration in our class at Goodwill! 🎉 The students surprised one of the teachers with flowers and a homemade strawberry flan! 😋
We love seeing connections bloom within our community! 💐
Become an ESOL tutor and help strengthen the local immigrant community!
Book drive in response to Hurricane Helene
In the wake of Hurricane Helene, WD Williams Elementary Media Specialist/ Librarian Kassandra Cumming took action to support families displaced by the disaster. With many of them asking for children’s books despite losing homes and belongings, she contacted us asking for help.
“We are trying to put books into the hands of our kiddos who are having a tough time right now,” she said. “They are asking for books, filling my heart with joy and my eyes with tears.”
Her desire to give books to displaced families inspired us to organize a book drive. Almost simultaneously, Heather Childress from Weaverville Primary School and Kyley Byrd, a BeLoved Asheville volunteer, asked us for books for the school and the “buckets of love” distributed among the displaced families living in shelters.
Since our office was closed, we partnered with The Whale WAVL so they could receive the books. We received hundreds of books that went to Beloved Asheville, Leaf Global Arts, Weaverville Primary School, and Jones Elementary.
Library IQ learned about the drive, contacted us, and offered to donate as many books to W.D. Williams Elementary as needed. The school received 100 books per grade level!

This was an excellent opportunity to build and deepen relationships with local businesses and organizations: The Whale WAVL, Pages for a Fresh Start, The Venue Asheville, Library IQ, local author Constance Lombardo, and BeLoved Asheville. They all played a role in collecting, receiving, and distributing donations.
Also, the Youth Literacy Program interns and our non-tutoring volunteer, Becky, helped with the book distribution!
We’re so grateful for this community effort and to everyone who donated books!
Our community has been devastated by Hurricane Helene, and our students are among those most affected. For those already struggling with low literacy and language barriers, the path to recovery seems even more daunting. These are the challenges our students face every day. Do you want to help? You can become a volunteer tutor or donate. Thank you!