Welcome to our history! As we celebrate 50 years of changing lives, one at a time, we want to share our story.
We’ve featured just a few students and volunteers, to give a flavor of the variety, commitment, and talent that have made us who we are. They represent the hundreds who have been part of our history. We’ve noted some significant events and some that are less so. You’ll find celebrated milestones and maybe even shed a tear or two. We’re incredibly proud of our story and the people who made it happen. Enjoy.
The History of Literacy Volunteers of Bangor
Ruth Colvin knew from the 1960 census that low literacy was a problem in New York state. She researched the issue and began working with faculty at Syracuse University to develop learning materials for adults. She was influenced by Frank Laubach's "Each One Teach One" program. She started America’s first adult literacy program, calling it…
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Agnes Beckwith was a 72-year old Baptist from Lamoine. Sister Mary Benigna was a 63-year old Roman Catholic nun. They were both retired teachers who believed in helping people, and they made Literacy Volunteers happen in Maine. The national Church Women United had taken on adult literacy as a cause. The Bangor CWU group tagged Sister…
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Wilfred Levesque could eyeball a woodlot and tell you the value of the harvested wood. He was a hard worker who carried the Bangor Daily News around with him. Few people knew he couldn’t read it. He signed his name with an X. In May 1969, this 60-something sat down…
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"A mother was holding a child and looking at a medicine bottle, and she couldn't read. 'Do I give a teaspoon? A tablespoon? A cup?' Oh, my God - she could kill this child because she couldn't read. I was hooked." That's how Paula Adelman describes the photo that prompted…
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Tutor training was held in various venues donated by organizations, including the YWCA, the Bangor Public Library, and, later, the Bangor Daily News. At first, the focus was on basic literacy. Before long, as immigrants' needs became clear, a strand for English Language Learning was developed. Then, as now, tutoring…
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“I did almost everything at some point,” says Kara Schreiber of her 40+ years with Literacy Volunteers. It began when she was 21 and looking for a part-time job. She was at the employment center when a woman interrupted to ask the advisor Kara was talking to how to read…
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Literacy Volunteers celebrated its 10th birthday in 1979. There were still just a handful of volunteers and students meeting in borrowed space. The YMCA paid for a statewide telephone hotline that was operated by a volunteer out of her home in Augusta. Wally Amos, of Famous Amos Cookies, came to help celebrate the anniversary and…
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“We met in the basement of the Bangor Library. Joe was self-employed and repaired cars at his home. He bought used cars, took them apart and sold used parts. Math and memory were his strengths. He wanted to learn how to record sales.” Joe was Charlotte England’s first student,…
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“Knowing how to read is the difference between night and day. It feels nice to get up in the morning and read the paper,” Ed Boucher says. Ed had been a non-reader for most of his 40-year working life. He was a heavy equipment operator who found clever ways to avoid reading…
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In 1983, Governor Jock McKernan declared February 18-19 Literacy Volunteers Week. Barbara Bush, then the wife of the Vice-President, came to Bangor. Literacy Volunteers hosted a tea at the Isaac Farrar Mansion. “Everything I worried about”—crime, hunger, poverty—”would be better if more people…
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In the early 1980s, the Bangor branch of Literacy Volunteers of America was still a small group of volunteers with minimal funding and low student numbers. Leaders saw the need for a concentrated effort to improve public awareness of low literacy. Events and publicity could raise money while also reaching…
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Jane has asked us not to use her real name or photo. Like many basic literacy students, she had a lifetime of shame and fear about revealing her poor reading skills. Yet she is a shining example of what such people can achieve. “It would be a miracle happening,” Jane said. She…
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When she was in school, Carolyn Hart Thompson remembers, she saw a boy in the 6th grade sobbing. He had to sit in the back of the class because he could not read. Terribly upset, she remembers thinking that no child should have to be ashamed of what he just can’t do. …
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Media and celebrities were particularly notable supporters of literacy in the 1980s and 90s. A 1992 Bangor Daily News supplement, “Literacy and You” included articles by students, explaining how Literacy Volunteers had changed their lives. It also provided advice to parents on how to support their children’s literacy and where to find help. The BDN…
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If you can get children excited about reading, you can also attract their parents. That was Literacy Volunteers' adult student recruitment strategy in the 90s when it started the after-school program at Park Woods Transitional Housing, part of the Capehart housing community. On Tuesdays and Thursdays after school, volunteers and kids read…
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"I made sure I was the one who talked with people who came for help,” says Barbara Kates. “Almost always they came because their life was in crisis. I knew the risks they were taking by admitting they could not read. I wanted to be sure they would feel safe, and I wanted to connect them…
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Mary Hunter began working with a tutor in the 1990s and is still part of one of our book clubs. In 2016, when she was 92, she was invited to give a talk at Celebration Night. She brought small homemade gifts for everyone and gave the following speech: I was…
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“She was like a sponge, spending most of her day studying. I had a difficult time keeping up with her.” That’s tutor Judy Rudman, talking about Lai Lam. There was a good reason for her devotion to learning. Lai says that you become a better person when you can understand more. And for that…
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Under one name or another, there have been book clubs and student conversation groups since at least the 1980s. “New Beginnings” and “SOAR—Students of Adult Reading”--flourished in the 1980s and 90s. The Bangor Public Library often hosted. The groups also enjoyed occasional meals and other events. Today’s version is the book club New Books, New Readers, sponsored by the Maine Humanities…
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In 2002, Literacy Volunteers of America merged with Laubach Literacy International to become ProLiteracy Worldwide. Local chapters became more autonomous. Our name changed to Literacy Volunteers of Bangor instead of Literacy Volunteers of America-Bangor. In 2003, Mary Marin Lyon became our Executive Director. She inherited an organization that, for a variety of reasons, was in trouble. There…
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“Why not go somewhere and learn something new?” might be Christine Chou’s slogan. The owner of several Chinese restaurants over the years, she has many interests including international travel, Irish and belly dancing, and writing. Energy and spirit You hear that spirit of adventure underlying every chapter of Christine’s life story. From Taiwan, she came…
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If you’re driving around the Greater Bangor area, you may see a car with a sign on the door: “Ask me about Literacy Volunteers.” Steve Scalese is our informal ambassador-at-large and a testament to our mission: improving lives one at a time. He began as a student 16 years ago and has been involved ever since. Steve was one of…
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“If they made me pay to do tutoring,” says tutor Phil Locke, “I would pay—gladly.” Phil really means that; he puts in as many as 300 hours a year. Now in his 14th year, he began tutoring after he retired from teaching math at the University of Maine. He has a…
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“It’s been an interesting journey,” says Janet Speranza-Moran, reflecting on her 13 years with Literacy Volunteers. Janet currently volunteers on the Communications Committee. Bringing her business experience to bear—she’s co-owner of The Bedworks of Maine—she’s been the chief creator of our public service announcements on television. To get started, she analyzed PSAs from other literacy groups. “I found…
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By 2015, we had already updated our logo to celebrate our vision of a bright future. Now we moved into a new office on the Eastern Maine Community College campus. It was both a practical and a symbolic move. We began in 1969 with no office. Later, the Bangor Public…
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When you think of Literacy Volunteers, you probably think of tutors. But many volunteers fill other roles. Brendan Trainor is one example. “There is nothing political or religious about literacy,” says Brendan, so it’s a great opportunity for young professionals to get involved in their community. Brendan is an Assistant District Attorney who served…
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Richie Allen quit school at 16. He’s worked all his life at jobs he enjoyed, but they didn’t require much reading. His wife saw to any tasks that required reading and writing, so he didn't see any particular need to read himself. Nor was he especially interested in reading. "I…
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"After you tell somebody for so long that they're dumb, they believe it." Cindy Duell believed that she was dumb. She struggled in school, got no encouragement or help, and was passed along from grade to grade. She memorized to get by and learned to hate red ink: "You look…
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From the very beginning, Literacy Volunteers has been about students. Students decide what skills to work on and when they've met their goals. With their tutors, they decide where and when to meet and help choose the learning materials. And we all celebrate their successes. Celebration events have been part…
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Ruth Colvin founded Literacy Volunteers of America 57 years ago. At 102, she is still active, and she sent us a congratulatory video. Watch it here.