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I want to say Literacy Source is such a good institution that needs everyone’s
support to exist so they can continue to help more and more people.
This is a virtuous circle for our society, so our country will have
fewer and fewer unemployed and homeless people.
~Claire Chen, Literacy Source Student
For those of you who were able to attend our 22nd Annual Breakfast, we were so thrilled to see you. We know you felt the energy and joy of being together to celebrate the work we do in person for the first time in five years!
Each of our speakers had an immigration story to tell. Our emcee, Marina Rockinger, told the story of her father, and immigrant from Brazil, including his interesting restaurant experience of trying to move beyond the "safe" apple pie and a coffee order. Claire Chen, our student speaker, shared her decision to pursue her dreams in the United States after emigrating from Taiwan to the "huge garden and forest" that is Seattle. Hamdi Mohamed, our keynote speaker and the director of Seattle's Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs, starts her speech by highlighting how her "journey intertwines with the essence of what Literacy Source is." She came to this country from Somalia as a three year old refugee, and she remembers staying up all night in middle school helping her mother study for her citizenship. If you weren't able to attend the breakfast, you can hear all of their incredible stories here.
All of these speakers shared their or their family's dreams to come to the United States to pursue a better life, but they realized that one of the most significant barriers to achieving that goal is a lack of English and basic skills they needed to pursue those dreams. Much like the nearly 700 students we worked with to gain those skills last school year alone, they needed a strong partnership like the ones our dedicated team of staff and volunteers offer our students.
We want to say THANK YOU for making this event a resounding success. Not only did we have a great turnout on attendees, we also raised $125,000 so far towards our 150,000 goal. However, we're not quite there yet. Prior to the breakfast, a group of generous donors came up with a Challenge pool to match donations that come in for the Breakfast that equal $300 or more. We still have $15,500 left to match. If you haven't donated yet, giving $300 or more during the match is a great way to maximize your gift!
Next month, we look forward to sharing Martha's story, a former student and board member that featured in our breakfast video. Stay tuned...
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