Low literacy doesn't just affect an individual; it affects the community as a whole. The cost to businesses and taxpayers in lost wages, profits and productivity due to limited literacy skills totals $225 billion nationally! When you support literacy, you affect positive change for a variety of social issues.

For instance:

64% of adult prisoners are functionally illiterate and 77% of prison inmates do not have a high school diploma. Increasing literacy reduces crime and re-arrest rates.

46% of patients are unable to completely understand information and warnings on prescription bottles. Increasing literacy reduces the cost of medical care and improves public health.

Children with parents at the lowest level of literacy are twice as likely as their peers to function at the lowest level of literacy. Increasing literacy reduces the dropout rate and improves school performance.

In 2000, only 52% of those who did not complete high school registered to vote, in contrast with the 83% of those who obtained bachelor's degrees or higher. Increasing literacy reduces this statistic and increases voter turnout.

At least 50% of the unemployed are at the lowest level of literacy. Increasing literacy reduces this statistic and increases job opportunities and potential earnings.

43% of adults at the lowest level of literacy are living in poverty. Increasing literacy reduces this statistic and increases self sufficiency.

The following stories provide real-world examples of how your work as a tutor can have a lasting impact on adults across Oregon.

• Cheri Post loves her accounts payable job at Flightcraft in Portland. She should - she took a difficult road to get to it! A mother at 15, Cheri had three children and a lifetime of experience in the welfare system when she enrolled in the Life Skills program at Mt. Hood Community College. She told her counselor she wanted to climb out of her black hole, get her GED and be the first in her family to finish school. With pooled resources - a Pell grant, welfare assistance, Head Start for her youngest child - Cheri set out to change her life. She worked her way through Life Skills and Adult Basic Education classes, earned her GED, and gained office training and work experience. Two years later, with the help of caring professionals along the way, she started her job at Flightcraft and left welfare forever. Confident in her education and experience, Cheri sees a bright future for her family. "I always wanted my children to be successful. I felt that if I could be a success, my kids could too."

• JoAnne Moore, like so many other Oregon adults, knows the challenge of low literacy firsthand. JoAnne struggled with education since day one, and virtually unable to read or write, she dropped out of high school in 10th grade. She tried to learn to read and write and attempted several times to get her GED. After raising several children, JoAnne dreamed of going to beauty school. With her family's encouragement, she tried once more for her GED at Treasure Valley Community College (TVCC). She triumphantly earned her GED with the help of focused volunteer tutoring at TVCC. They gave her the dedicated tutoring she needed to pass all her GED classes. With GED in hand, JoAnne was able to enroll in Treasure Valley Academy of Beauty and is currently ready to graduate with a license as a nail technician - a dream that never could have come true without TVCC and her tutor!

• When Marzieh Mipourian immigrated to the United States in 1995, she took full advantage of every educational opportunity she could find. When she arrived in the U.S. she spoke Farsi and two Iranian dialects, but understood no English. She enrolled in an ESL class at Portland Community College (PCC) and worked with a tutor. Despite her initial challenges of communicating, she persevered through her ESL classes and enrolled in general education classes at PCC, eventually earning associates degrees in both General Studies and Science. Her mother was a midwife and her father was a doctor, so Mirpourian always knew she wanted to work in the medical field. She studied and became a medical assistant in 2000. While in this program, she applied for, and was accepted into the PCC Nursing program. After completing one year she was accepted into the nursing program at the University of Portland (UP). She graduated in 2004 and is currently working towards her Masters in Nursing at UP.