Mission Statement: The Tennessee Literacy Coalition supports and promotes adult learning, transforming the lives of adults who seek to enhance their fundamental use of language – to read, write, communicate, and ultimately to succeed.
First organized in 1982 and chartered as a non-profit corporation in 1985, the Tennessee Literacy Coalition has been serving both public and private literacy agencies for 27 years. We focus on training and recruiting volunteers, connecting learners to educators, providing resources, raising public awareness of the state’s adult literacy needs, and bringing together the public and private adult literacy provider agencies who share a client group.
In 1986, thanks to a substantial Gannett Foundation Literacy Challenge grant, we opened an office, hired our first staff member, and established the Information Clearinghouse to provide volunteer and learner referrals for member provider agencies. In 1987, the Coalition was invited to submit a proposal to coordinate the placement of full-time VISTA volunteers in literacy programs across the state. Since that time, we have placed more than 200 VISTA members, each of whom serve full time for a full year or more.
Over the years, we have organized volunteer conferences, student roundtables for adult learners, adult education theatre outreach, and the production of a southern literacy curriculum for adult learners. Today we also hold regular Regional Networking Forums, providing an opportunity for staff and volunteers from provider agencies to meet together to share resources and best practices.