Our Beginnings
“We can do no great things - only small things with great love”
– Mother Theresa
The Orange County Literacy Council was started in 1984, by Susan Attermeier and Mike Meyer. Susan, a member of the physical therapy faculty at UNC-Chapel Hill, and Mike a doctoral student in philosophy, had enrolled in a tutor training workshop after seeing flyers on a telephone pole on Franklin Street. The workshop was taught by Mary Talbert, a tiny, formidable person who had spent her adult life promoting adult literacy. As a young woman, Mary taught Chinese immigrants in California with Dr. Frank Laubach, "the leading pioneer of the contemporary adult literacy movement."
During the course of the workshop Mary stated that Orange County did not have a Literacy Council. Susan and Mike looked at each other and said “we should do that”. Two days later they were sitting on Mike’s porch with a bottle of wine discussing the philosophy and logistics of how to get started. Since neither had any experience in the area they decided to start by finding people who would give them free stuff. Franklin Street was a logical venue, and indeed they found a printer who would donate flyers and bus placards. The Chapel Hill Newspaper published an article about the new organization and Susan and Mike were joined by George Gamble of the UNC School of Maternal and Child Health and Mary Ann Steele. Both had worked in a literacy program in Virginia.
Susan and Mike started working with their first students, and their eyes were opened. Susan’s student wanted to be able to sign her name. Mike’s student was a Minister who wanted to read the Bible and help the children in her neighborhood. From that point on there was no turning back. Mary Talbert helped Susan and Mike organize their first Tutor Training Workshop and 25 people signed up. Students were recruited and matched with these newly trained tutors, and the Literacy Council was launched.
For two years, the Literacy Council operated out of a series of shoeboxes housed under the beds of this core group of people. In 1986, a $6,000 venture grant from United Way allowed the group to open their first office on Main Street in Carrboro. That same year the Council recruited a Vista volunteer – Pindie Stephen. Pindie had extensive experience in community organization oversees, and started to establish connections between the Literacy Council and other community service organizations. Today - displayed in the Literacy Council’s Chapel Hill office - is a beautiful blue quilt –a gift from Pindie, who now works in Kenya. In subsequent years the Council expanded its funding base from United Way to include funding from local governments, churches, public and private foundations and individuals. This funding enabled the Council to hire permanent staff, and as the need became apparent, to expand into northern and unincorporated Orange County.
What drives the effort and fuels the continued growth and stability of the Council? As Susan says “it’s our shared commitment to social justice… every staff member and every volunteer understands that an adult who cannot read or write feels alienated from society and does not have access to economic security and the fulfillment of personal dreams.” Over and over, this belief has been verified by the Council’s students. They are proud of their new abilities to obtain job promotions, vote, and help their children with school work. Perhaps more importantly, they are proud of themselves for taking the risk to ask for help and to do the hard work necessary to reach their literacy goals.
