William Lewis, age 50, knows exactly what he wants to do in his life. He wants to get his GED and read a book to his grandsons.

With grants from the Toledo Community Foundation to Read for Literacy, William is working toward his very important goals.

Twice a week, William meets with his volunteer tutor Mary Berry for two hours learning how to read. Even though William went to school until the ninth grade, he did not know his alphabet.

Read for Literacy provides adult basic literacy tutoring to Toledo area residents to learn to read or improve their reading skills. Ninety percent of the Read for Literacy students read at or below the fourth grade level.

Mary, who is retired, loves to read and wanted to give back to the community. Mary and William have been a team for over six months and are making progress.

The Foundation grants were for $12,750 over three years to upgrade tutor training material and $18,081 for one year to expand the agency’s outreach program to recruit students from central city churches and neighborhood centers.

“I’m learning to read because I want to do it. Not because anyone tells me I have to do this. I have more energy about life and I feel good about myself,” says William.