Mr. Martin Szebo
President and CEO
Community Trust Company
456 Main Street
Anytown, IL 60000

Dear Mr. Szebo:

We are pleased to enclose a report on the Ralph Goodson Literacy Project’s family program. The Community Trust Company’s $50,000 grant was instrumental in making it possible for us to continue a program that requires a high degree of personal attention to each client. Although costly, personal attention is key to the program’s success.

Over the past year, we have continued to help families help themselves by gaining essential skills in reading and writing. Eighty-five families consisting of 140 children and 118 parents participated in the program for at least 6 months. A full 90 percent of these continued with us for an entire year.

The benefits to the families and the community are striking. Grades in all subjects went up by one to two levels for 90 percent of the children participating. Of the 62 parents who were seeking work at the beginning of the period, 49 have found work. Few other programs of any kind can point to such dramatic results, which attest not only to the Literacy Project’s ability to run this program but also to how essential basic literacy skills are to other kinds of success.

A new corporate sponsor (Firetown Tire Company) and a new source of service fees from training teachers working for other agencies will provide some security for the program in future years. As you read this report, we hope you will consider the long-term value of this program and consider becoming an ongoing partner with us in this important effort.

Should you have any questions about the report or the program in general, you can reach me at 312-555-4567 or [email protected]. Thank you again for your generous support.

Sincerely, Florence Goodson Smith Florence Goodson Smith Executive Director

Enclosed: