When adults improve their literacy, the whole community benefits. An increase in adult literacy strengthens our economy, improves family welfare, and enables career growth.

Adults who didn’t complete school and/or have low literacy cost all of us. They require more funding from social services, and often lack the skills and education needed for Maine’s 21st Century workforce.

Supporting adult literacy means supporting Maine’s most precious resource: its people.

• Donate your time. You can tutor or volunteer in other ways, including in the office or on a committee.
• CLYNK: Hannaford’s CLYNK program allows your returnable bottles and cans to be donated to our mission. Simply get tagged bags from our office.
  • Or if you have a personal CLYNK account, you can redirect your CLYNK balance to us.  To learn how to do this, click here.
• Facebook Fundraiser: Engage your contacts and use social media to promote us. You can also share our posts to raise awareness.
• Collect new or gently used children’s books and we’ll redistribute them to needy families.

Our donors are committed to improving adult literacy. Whether they’re driven by personal experience, civic duty, or seeing us in action, our donors make our work possible. Read on to learn a little more about some of our most dedicated donors.

Local entrepreneur Joe Cyr of Old Town joined his father’s transportation company in 1962. He’s been in the business for over 50 years, mostly as president. Now semi-retired, Joe and Sue, his wife, appreciate the value of literacy. They get great joy from seeing their grandchildren reading while sharing time with them at camp.

Why do they invest in Literacy Volunteers? Joe’s perspective is unique.

“We’re in the education business,” he says. “Twice a day, our buses transport 10,000 Maine children from home to school and back again. We like to give back to our community, and this is one way that we do.”

Liz Hogencamp has been both a faithful donor and volunteer with Literacy Volunteers of Bangor since 2015. She began her journey as a tutor and then transitioned to volunteering in the office. Liz does everything from taking the lead in mass mailings to helping at events to tagging CLYNK bags to planting and maintaining flower beds.

Like many of us in this uncertain economy, Liz has recently had to pare down her the financial giving. Still, she continues to give to Literacy Volunteers of Bangor because she truly believes in the mission of helping people improve their lives through literacy. When asked why she gives so generously with both her financial resources and time, she said through glistening eyes, “There are so many people who need help, and I would help them all if I could.”

Jack Frost is the Director of Community Giving at Bar Harbor Bank and Trust. He, like the bank itself, believes in literacy and its positive effect on our community. “Literacy Volunteers of Bangor is one organization we’re thrilled to partner with,” says Jack. “With one in five adults in the U.S. having low literacy, it is critical that programs like Literacy Volunteers are supported.” When adults move towards their full potential, families benefit, and our community thrives. That’s why Bar Harbor Bank & Trust sponsors our major fundraiser, the Literacy Tea.

The Galen Cole Family Foundation has been supporting literacy in Maine for over twenty years. Its founder, well-known businessman, civic leader and philanthropist Galen Cole, was deeply committed to improving his community, starting with families. “Of primary importance,” he said, “is lifting the levels of aspiration of children, particularly those from financially distressed families,” and to help adults who may have fallen on hard times.  One great way to accomplish both goals is to help adults, especially parents, achieve better literacy, which in turn leads to better jobs, higher aspirations, and better futures.

The Foundation remains committed to helping Mainers by continuing to support Literacy Volunteers of Bangor.

Born in England to legally resident Poles displaced after WWII, Terri Wlodarski learned the importance of literacy as a teenager when she coached her Polish parents for their U. S. citizenship exam. Reading, writing, and American history were the topics to be tested and they were determined to pass in order to gain a permanent home.

“My father struggled trying to pronounce “Massachusetts” perfectly as one of our 13 original colonies while my mom practiced writing cursive English over and over and over to sentences that I dictated,” Terri says.

It was a lesson for a lifetime. Both Terri and her husband Fred are staunch advocates for literacy.

“I feel very comfortable asking folks to support literacy—it crosses every religion, political party, and class without preference. Supporting Literacy Volunteers of Bangor is a wonderful way to give of one’s time, gift one’s money, and consider leaving a legacy. “

Our donors make THE difference. Since we receive no state or federal monies, we rely on support from individuals, businesses, and foundations.

We enthusiastically thank our supporters for their annual donations.