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Our History |
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In 1993, a group of volunteers established the Forsyth County Advocates for Literacy to address a functional illiteracy rate that at the time exceeded 30% of the adult population. Its stated mission was to provide literacy education to those who were:
· Born in the U.S. but had not completed high school and/or passed an entrance exam to a community college or technical school. · Born outside the U.S and in need of language skills in order to be safe, productive workers and improve their parenting skills.
The Advocates renovated three rooms in what is now called The Family Center to use as classrooms and administrative offices. Students received free tutoring in English, math, science, and social studies. Lanier Technical College provided the materials and teachers.
Over time, the agency struggled to survive. It was plagued by a declining membership and a lack of participation among influential community leaders. In 2001, Advocates dissolved and re-formed under new leadership and a new name, Promoters of Adult Literacy, or PALS. In 2003, another local volunteer literacy organization, Literacy Volunteers of Forsyth County, teamed with PALs to form a single entity aimed at raising literacy rates among adult residents.
Between 2001 and 2005, PALs refocused and strengthened its efforts. They recruited leadership from county government, media, businesses, civic organizations, the public school system, and churches to serve on their Board of Directors. Using data from the 2000 Census, they developed targets and service goals for raising literacy rates in the county. They worked with Lanier Technical College to support the Adult Learning Center to provide GED tutoring and ESL classes.
In 2005, PALS became a member of the Georgia Certified Literate Community Program (CLCP) and changed its name to the Forsyth County Certified Literate Community Program.
The Georgia Certified Literate Community Program was modeled after other highly successful programs such as the Keep America Beautiful Program and the United Way Campaign. It seeks to unite major sectors of communities to achieve difficult goals. Partnered with the Department of Adult and Technical Education, it provides experience and guidance to member agencies. At a community or county level, each member agency must identify literacy goals, build an organization to deliver literacy services, and meet or exceed their stated goals within a 10 year time frame in order to earn the designation of Certified Literate Community.
In 2009, the organization established a DBA of Literacy Forsyth. This shorter name more accurately reflects our mission, but our legal name has not changed. We also moved our offices to the Hill Center.
Today, Literacy Forsyth is one of 72 successful CLCP programs in Georgia. Its 10-year goal is to provide literacy services for 7,256 Forsyth County residents. To date, it has served more than 7,000 residents and is well on its way to achieving Literate Community status. Administrative offices are housed in the Hill Center but literacy services are delivered at schools, churches, and public buildings throughout the county.
Today, adult literacy services include: Free tutoring for low-level and non-reading adults Scholarships to cover the cost of the GED exam fee Teachers to deliver English (ESL) and GED preparation classes at the Adult Learning Center at Lanier Tech Free books and materials for students and tutors Financial support for Forsyth Reads, a county-wide program to promote reading |
