President’s Message

Dear Friends,

The Washington Literacy Center has had a busy year, so we’d like to share recent updates and also tell you about some exciting events on the horizon.

When I became executive director three years ago, I had several goals in mind. The most important goal was to increase our funding so that we could make a significant impact on the unacceptably high number of low literate adults in DC. Thanks to our funders and supporters, like Congressional Sports for Charity, Politics’ & Prose, DC Government, Compass Pro Bono and others, we’ve been able to hire incredibly talented and dedicated instructors who have elevated and expanded our curriculum for adult students. This year, students have walked through our doors with only a minimal ability to read and limited workforce skills – this includes new immigrants who struggle to read and write in English and their native languages. With our help, many students have completed their course work and been able to secure better jobs, and hopefully, more secure futures.

With our goal of expanding our curriculum and reaching more students, comes the need for more space. We’re pleased to share that we will soon move our home from Thurgood Marshall Center to new a site at 3rd and R Street, NW. Our new building will have more than 8 large classrooms, basically doubling our capacity for additional students. Over this next year, we’ll work hard to raise funds so we’re able to fill those classrooms with the many adults in need of our services. At the high cost of educating students and a growing waitlist, it’s going to take a lot of work!

We thank you and all of the friends of WLC for your continued support, and look forward to seeing you at our premier fundraising event on February 13th – Love Letters for Literacy.

Sincerely,

Jimmie Williams

WLC President and Executive Director