History

About 1979 or 1980, Edna Litton and Norma Scalf started the Literacy Council for Clermont County. They began working out of Edna's garage. Edna had been involved with literacy while living in England, her home country. She went to the literacy program in Cincinnati and was trained, but she wanted to serve students in Clermont County. Since they could not promise her students in this area, she decided to start her own program.

Mr. Van Landingham, a real estate agent and developer in Goshen, offered a small office space without charge. Over the next five years Edna served as the Council Director, and Norma served as her "person Friday." They trained volunteer tutors and served 20 or so students each year. They had assembled a cadre of tutors through word of mouth and by dragging in some friends.

The agency's operating budget those early years was less than $1000. That all came from personal donations and some bake sales. In 1987, the Literacy Council and the Clermont County Adult Basic and Literacy Education (ABLE) unit began to cooperate. Initially the ABLE program would purchase material for the agency. In return the ABLE program would be allowed to count The Literacy Council's students in its state report.

In 1989 Edna Litton moved out of Cincinnati. At the next Literacy Council Board meeting a proposal was put on the table to disband and send the students to the Greater Cincinnati Literacy Network Programs. However, with the dedication and commitment of a drafted director, Marie Streng, the Literacy Council survived. Marie was instrumental in expanding the ABLE relationship to an annual funding source. She also was responsible for the first proposal to the United Way for program funding. The first United Way grant was for around $3000. The money allowed the agency to pay the director for the first time.

The program grew because there was and is a need. More volunteer tutors were trained and the student count grew to almost 100. In 1991, a grant was written to add a "recruiter" to the staff. The funds came from the Ohio Department of Education Adult Education. The first recruiter was Carl Riedmatter. With the addition of the recruiter position, the agency was able to expand service into Brown County, which had been a hope expressed by the United Way.

The Literacy Council has established itself as important agency in the Clermont & Brown County communities. Many great things have occurred since these simple beginnings. The agency is functioning very well and continuing to grow to meet the needs for the non-reader in Clermont and Brown Counties.