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Literacy Council Receives Grant From Wells Fargo Community Connections Program

Nov 10, 2017 • by Literacy Council of Reading-Berks
Literacy Council of Reading-Berks

WEST LAWN, PA – The Literacy Council of Reading-Berks was among more than 60 non-profit organizations from Central Pennsylvania to receive a $1,000 grant from the Wells Fargo Community Connections Program for its Workforce Development Program.

Wells Fargo’s Community Connections Program is an annual program where each of its retail banking branches explores the needs of their local communities and selects a nonprofit organization or school to receive a $1,000 grant. This year, Wells Fargo will award more than $300,000 in grants to nonprofit organizations and schools throughout Pennsylvania.

The grants are part of the company’s broader support of its communities. In 2016, Wells Fargo and its team members invested more than $9.1 million in nonprofit organizations and schools and team members volunteered more than 31,000 hours across Pennsylvania.

“At Wells Fargo, we know that small acts can yield huge results and we are committed to supporting programs and organizations that we believe are important to the future of our communities’ vitality and success,” said Mini Castaneda, Exeter Branch Manager.  Ms. Castaneda is a former English as a Second Language student of the Literacy Council who wanted to give back to the organization that helped her learn English.  “I am proud to support the Literacy Council with this grant,” Castaneda said.

The Literacy Council is celebrating its 50th year of providing exceptional adult literacy services in Berks County. Since 1968, the Literacy Council has helped thousands of adults improve their reading, writing, math, and English-language skills. However, there are still approximately 90,000 adults in Berks County who need to develop sufficient literacy skills to become self-reliant in today’s world.

The mission of the Literacy Council of Reading-Berks is to help people better communicate, collaborate and contribute to their workplace and community. Current programs include one-on-one tutoring, classes for English as a Second Language and citizenship preparation, workforce development training, high school equivalency preparation, English Forward training to create more ESL classes in the community, and other services. The Literacy Council’s vision is to eradicate illiteracy in Berks County by teaching people the vital reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language skills needed to improve their quality of life and enable more productive employment and community citizenship.

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