The ability to read and write is the foundation for just about everything we do in life - work, manage our health, raise our children and more! Yet 25,000+ adults in Kalamazoo County struggle to read. We are working to change that. With 240+ volunteers and 14 literacy centers, we serve an average of 500+ Kalamazoo County adults every year. Join us! Visit www.kalamazooliteracy.org to learn more, make a donation, or become a volunteer. Who Struggles to Read? According to the National Institute for Literacy, 13 percent of adults (25,495) in Kalamazoo County cannot read a job application, an intersection on a map, a prescription label, or read a story to their child. Their lives are often linked to poverty, crime, and poor health, and their children are more likely to struggle in school. The Kalamazoo Literacy Council (KLC) is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit volunteer tutor organization dedicated to enhancing the lives of adults who struggle to read. We offer free one-on-one programs designed to develop reading, writing and spelling skills in the context of basic literacy, jobs/workplace literacy, health literacy, family literacy, financial literacy, English as a Second Language (ESL), GED achievement, post-secondary transitions, and more. In addition, the Council works to educate the public about the crisis of illiteracy, striving to bring together a community with one common goal - making Kalamazoo County 100 percent literate! The KLC is the only organization in Kalamazoo County exclusively providing free basic literacy instruction to adults. Our mission is led by highly trained and dedicated volunteers and supported by a full-time executive director, student services coordinator, part-time administrative staff, and generous donors. As a member agency of ProLiteracy – the largest adult literacy and basic education membership organization in the nation – we’re connected to the right tools and resources to best support our learners and grow awareness. #EveryoneNeedsToRead
