SYLVIA   

Although Sylvia had always wanted to learn to read and write, when she realized her daughter was having trouble in school, she knew it was time to take action.  Sylvia became one of the first students in The Women’s Center’s Adult Literacy program.  She came to the evening classes with both her daughters, so they could be tutored while she was learning.   Within weeks of beginning her first class, Sylvia comprehended sentences and paragraphs.  She began going to the library and became an avid reader.

 “What is really wonderful is that I can understand what my daughter’s teacher is sending home, and I can talk with the teacher about how to help my daughter.”  Sylvia’s oldest daughter, Erica, is now in sixth grade and has significantly improved in all her classes.  “I used to have low self-esteem because I couldn’t understand the words in my book, but now I love reading, just like my Mom,” says Erica. 

Sylvia also reads to her younger daughter almost every night, and today Veronica is one of the top readers in her first grade class.    A few months ago, Sylvia passed her U. S. Citizenship test, and is now studying for her GED.   “People at work ask what I am doing, because they have noticed that I speak and understand better. The Women’s Center has truly made a difference in our lives.”