One of our many Stories

When Maria came to Cape Cod, she could only speak a few phrases in English.

Most people were kind, but when she got a job cleaning houses, one of her first clients yelled at her “What are you doing in Massachusetts if you can’t speak English!” Another refused to pay her hourly fee, saying it was too high, even though he had originally agreed to pay it. Maria could not speak up to defend herself in either case and fled in tears.

But then a friend told her about the Cape Cod Literacy Council, and her life changed.

After two years attending English classes staffed by Literacy Council tutors, and working with a one-to-one tutor from the Council, Maria has gained confidence and skill reading, writing and conversing in English. She is now empowered to speak up for herself and is helping others in the community attend English classes to obtain better jobs.

Maria is one of hundreds of lives changed — thanks to your helping the Cape Cod Literacy Council. With your generous donations, adults wanting to learn English receive the classroom instruction, the tutoring and the resources to learn to read, write and converse.

We train volunteers to provide critical assistance to these adult learners. We enroll them in English immersion classes and provide workplace skills training, as well as High School Equivalency and U.S. Citizenship preparation classes.