A mission born of need:
Cape Fear Literacy Council began in 1970 as the Wilmington Literacy Group, a volunteer mission project of the Wilmington Baptist Association. Detailed records were not kept so the actual number of students served and tutors trained is unknown. However, in 1984, those working with the program realized that the literacy problem was far too great to be handled as an off-shoot group.

A Community Advisory Council was formed with representatives from Cape Fear Community College, UNCW, New Hanover County Board of Education, the public libraries, and several other organizations in New Hanover and Pender counties. Cape Fear Literacy Council was born, run first by volunteers and one VISTA worker. Later another VISTA worker was added.

In 1985, the Council was officially chartered as an independent, not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization -- the only volunteer adult literacy agency serving the estimated 24,000 functionally illiterate adults in New Hanover and Pender counties.

Humble beginnings:
Finances were almost nil. The Wilmington Baptist Association continued to provide housing, but tutors were expected to pay for tutoring materials. The Council’s total budget was $500, from a B. Dalton Book Sellers’ grant specifically designated to pay for the Council’s phone line and services.

In 1987, a Library of Congress grant enabled the Council to hire one full-time and one part-time staff person. In 1991, a federal grant from the Adult Basic Education program, administered by NC Community Colleges, made it possible to add a second part-time employee and to provide, for the first time, materials without charge, for volunteers, tutors, and students.

Space became a major problem. In 1992, First Citizens Bank donated the use of a branch building at 608 Shipyard Boulevard for the remaining two years of their lease. In 1994, the building’s new owner granted the Council continued use for maintenance and tax expenses, until such time as the property might be sold. Our own building gave the Council its own community identity. It also made it possible to expand programs and enhance tutor training.

Programs grew under our new roof:
In 1989, the Council introduced “Read To Me, Mama” a program reaching out to parents of pre-school children. In 1993, the Council turned its full attention to illiteracy prevention when “Babies & Books” was introduced. Council volunteers conduct programs in each of the pre-natal education classes at NHRMC, underscoring the benefits of reading to a new baby from birth to school age -- and beyond. In 1993, the Council again expanded family literacy programs by placing tutors in New Hanover County middle & high schools to work with youth-at-risk referred by teachers or counselors. Illiteracy prevention continues to be a major priority.

In 1995, a new direction was charted with the opening of the Literacy Computer Lab. Six computers were donated by Hoechst Celanese and the “vault” remodeled by community donations. Students now were assured the opportunity to explore today’s technology at their own pace, while supplementing the learning process.

Partnerships with social service and community organizations continue to extend our resources and expertise. It is very important, for instance, to work with the Vocational Rehabilitation group so that when the clients are physically ready to enter or re-enter the workforce, their basic skills are ready, too. Success is much more certain with a coordinated effort.

A permanent home for literacy in wilmington:
On January 11, 1997 we received notice that the property on Shipyard Boulevard had been sold and that we should prepare to vacate the building within 30 days. The Board of Directors quickly formed a building search committee. Within two weeks the building and property at 1012 S. 17th Street was identified as a possible location and the Board acted quickly obtained a loan to purchase the property.

On March 7, 1997 the Deed was signed and Cape Fear Literacy Council became the owner of the property. April 5, 1997 The council moved into its new and permanent home.

With some minor renovations, the former construction office was turned into a Literacy Center. In 1999, we were able to pay off the mortgage. In the last couple of years, we have been working hard to improve our facilities. With help from SDI Construction, the Cannon Foundation and the D. Thomas Roofing Company, we put on a new roof and built our Student Study Center in 2001. In addition to the new Student Study Center, we have a Resource Room, Computer Learning Lab and Training Room.

In 1999, the North Carolina Center for Nonprofits honored the CFLC Board with the Nonprofit Steward Award because of “their exemplary steps to fulfill the public trust” This prestigious award was given to the board in recognition of their exceptional leadership, resourcefulness and commitment as they protected the mission of the council while raising the funds for a permanent home for literacy in our community.

The expansion of our building, program and services has required an expansion of our staff. The current staff of the Literacy Council includes an ESOL coordinator, a literacy coordinator, an awareness & community relations coordinator, an adult literacy intake coordinator, a financial coordinator and two program assistants, in addition to the executive director. Along with the Training Team and the volunteers who staff the Learning Lab in the evening, the entire staff is dedicated to supporting students and tutors.

Entering a second decade of service:
As the Council celebrates its 20th anniversary and moves into its second decade of service to the region, the agency continues to rise to meet any and all challenges with enthusiasm, flexibility and dedication. Founding director Billie Granger's retirement at the end of 2004 ushered in a new era of change during the transition in leadership, leaving an awesome legacy of solid financial and program stewardship. New executive director Linda R. Patton brings an abundance of experience and skill in non-profit management to the task, insuring that despite inevitable change, the Council's mission is in good hands.

The expansion of services and programs, dictated by changing community literacy needs, including work skills literacy and the development of a multi-faceted English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) program, required a corresponding expansion of the Council's staff. In 2006, in addition to the executive director, the full-time staff now includes an adult literacy coordinator, ESOL coordinator and an awareness/community relations coordinator. Part-time staff members include the financial coordinator, student intake coordinator and two program assistants.

Volunteers are the life's blood of any non-profit organization and CFLC has been fortunate to have hundreds of dynamic volunteers to help provide vital services to literacy students and the community. Members of the Council's Board of Directors are all volunteers, providing oversight and resource development. Volunteer training team members, tutors, computer lab assistants and other program volunteers help the entire staff provide critical support to CFLC's mission to fight adult illiteracy in New Hanover and Pender counties.

Meeting student needs:
Over the past 20 years, the Council has recruited, trained and certified approximately 2,000 volunteer tutors. These tutors, in turn, have donated hundreds of thousands of hours to work with well over 2,500 students throughout the Cape Fear region. Depending upon a student's needs, motivation and available time, it takes from six months to four years to help an adult acquire the basic literacy skills necessary to function productively in our increasingly technological world.

Tutoring continues on a one-on-one basis in the basic literacy and the ESOL programs with an expansion into small group classes for beginning, intermediate and advanced ESOL students. Council trainers and staff provide on-going support and materials. One-on-one tutoring is a great formula that we know works, and works well. Now the challenge is to see how far we can stretch our resources to meet the ever-changing needs of our students. We want to reach out to serve an even broader student base, expand our illiteracy prevention intervention and strengthen our workplace and family literacy programs. We want to build on the successes of the past decade, while looking continually to the future and all it may hold.

We know that breaking the stronghold of adult illiteracy is a long-term, slow effort. We also know, however, that it is a crucial investment for the future of our city, our county, our state and our nation. If we want everyone to have a place in today's global economy, support of literacy programs is not simply a nice gesture -- it is an absolute necessity.