Hi, my name is Art, and I’m a student here at Literacy Services. This is my story.
Many years ago, I was in a six-month alcohol and drug program at Matt Talbot Recovery Services. One guy there was going to Literacy Services. He asked me if I wanted to go with him and enroll there. I thought about my mother and how she had gone there to learn to read, so I thought I’d try it, too.
When I got there, the tutors were very encouraging to me. I completed a program at Literacy Services and then I tried MATC. When I got there they were moving so fast that I couldn’t keep up. There were no tutors there to help me like at Literacy Services. I stopped going there because I did not find the support I needed.
Twenty-four years later, in 2013, I decided to go back to Literacy Services and get some computer skills. They had computer classes to get me started. I had a tutor, MaryAnn, who showed me how to find information on the computer. I was so amazed with what you can do with a computer! She helped me look up Betsy Smith, a singer that I wanted to know more about. I wanted to learn more. The door was open.
I also completed the Pre-GED program. That wasn’t easy for me to do. I had a storm that came into my life. My kids’ mother died all of sudden and I couldn’t concentrate and focus Before the funeral, I wrote her eulogy. By coming to Literacy Services, I found the courage to write and deliver the eulogy to over 300 people at the funeral. I had written things before, but many times my writing was like when a clown juggles—the words were all over the place. But at Literacy Services my writing gained discipline, consistency, and organization.