ProLiteracy to Launch Adult Literacy Day of Giving : : September 25

ProLiteracy to Launch Adult Literacy Day of Giving

ProLiteracy: 9.01.2015

ProLiteracy is pleased to announce that it is launching an Adult Literacy Day of Giving on September 25 to raise awareness about adult literacy and encourage people to get involved by volunteering, supporting, and donating. More than 36 million adults in America cannot read, and overall funding for literacy programs has dropped. Meanwhile, nearly 70 percent of these programs have student waiting lists.

Improving basic literacy skills addresses many of the world’s greatest needs at their core. When adults learn how to read and write, they are more likely to help lower health care costs, find and keep sustainable employment, and lift themselves out of poverty.

The Day of Giving is being held during Adult Education and Family Literacy Week. This week raises public awareness of adult education and family literacy, assists adult learners in need of literacy services, leverages local resources, and supports increased access to adult education and family literacy programs.

Additional Information

The U.S. loses billions of dollars every year because of low productivity in the workforce, high unemployment rates, Medicaid costs, the cost of food stamps, and expenses associated with providing subsidized housing. Millions of adults living in the U.S. struggle with basic literacy skills. In the U.S., 14 percent of adults 16 and older read below a fifth grade level, and 29 percent read at only an eighth grade level. Among those with the lowest literacy rates, 43 percent live in poverty.  READ MORE !