I finally made it! This week I sat my little self in this chair to have my badge picture taken to be a tutor for The Literacy Network of Greater Cincinnati.

I’ve been wanting to do it ever since I volunteered at their Handbags for Hope event a few years ago and heard some of the statistics on adult literacy in the greater Cincinnati. That area includes Cincinnati and a 25 mile radius around it.

Three things I’ve learned so far that have inspired me to become a tutor:

Around 400,000 people in the Greater Cincinnati need help with basic literacy. In other words, are only able to at the third grade level or below.

More than 6 in 10 preschoolers are not read to regularly by parents or family members.

About one fifth of the adult population can read a little, but not well enough to fill out an application or read a simple story to a child.

I may not be fantastic at a lot of things, but one thing I am pretty good at is Reading! I love to read for learning and entertainment, which probably helps to explain why I also enjoy writing. I enjoyed learning about the opportunities to be a tutor and cant wait to get started volunteering at the literacy network.