A Career Milestone
September marked our President & CEO Patricia Rajala's 40th anniversary as a literacy professional.
Here is an excerpt from the speech she gave thanking her Board & staff at a surprise Anniversary Luncheon.
"You all know I started as a tutor in 1979 and took over as Executive Director in 1982. The woman who started Literacy Volunteers of America - which is now called Pro Literacy and we're Literacy Solutions - her name is Ruth Coleman. My daughter and I attended her 100th year birthday party a few years ago in Syracuse. She looks great. Still playing golf. She's quite a character.
At that party I walked up to Ruth and said, "You know, Ruth, this organization that you started that is now national has helped hundreds of thousands of adult learners since 1962. But, there is another whole group of people - like myself - for whom this organization has been more than a job. It has been an avocation. It has been a calling. It has been a reason to exist.
I think a lot of you get that same feeling from being involved in this organization. There is just something about it that is so meaningful! It makes it worthwhile to get up to go to work each morning. That's why I'm doing this.
This is not a retirement. I'm not ready for that yet. [cheers] I am honored. I am humbled, and so pleased you all took this time out of your day to spend with me. I'm just thrilled. Thank you all very, very much."
