Monday, January 10, 2022

Fond du Lac Literacy Services, a local non-profit agency, will accept donations under its “Empower Lives Through Literacy” Annual Campaign through January 31, 2022.

It’s estimated that 6,000 adults in Fond du Lac County struggle to read daily.

Donations are critical to Fond du Lac Literacy Service’s mission of improving local adults’ reading, writing, speaking, and math skills, as the annual cost to support one learner is $650. Contributions in any amount are welcome and accepted on its website https://donorbox.org/empower-lives-through-literacy-2.

Checks can also be mailed to its office at the FDL Public Library, at 32 Sheboygan Street, Fond du Lac, WI 54935.

“We help adults improve their literacy skills as they work to achieve their personal goals, opening doors to new opportunities. To help more students we need the support of our community,” said Board President Rick Gregory of the organization’s mission.

During the pandemic, Fond du Lac Literacy Services was able to continue tutoring services by providing help via online platforms. 

In May, 2021, the organization opened its doors once again; since then, many tutor/student pairs have started meeting again. The pandemic, however, has made it difficult for many students to continue tutoring and have fallen behind in reaching their literacy goals. Fond du Lac Literacy Services is working to get students back to pre- pandemic levels and helping them thrive in the community.

Donations are needed to obtain workbooks and other learning aids to provide classroom and individual instruction as well as continue with online platforms for those who are not comfortable meeting in-person.

Volunteer tutors are also in high demand. Interested individuals may contact the Literacy Coordinator’s office at (920) 322-3932 or literacy@fdlpl.org for more information.

Fond du Lac Literacy Services was founded in 1982 and serves adults in Fond du Lac County. The agency’s mission is to develop local adults’ reading, writing, speaking, and math skills through individual tutoring sessions, as well as class work. They also help individuals prepare for GED/HSED testing, or study for US Citizenship. In 2021, they served 99 learners, who received assistance from 82 volunteer tutors.