Mission

To promote adult and family literacy in southeastern Wisconsin.

Activities

The GMLC draws a diverse group of literacy service providers and practitioners together to create public awareness of the educational challenges facing adults in our community, promote literacy, and create professional development opportunities for teachers and tutors.

Conferences and Continuing Education

The Greater Milwaukee Literacy Coalition

• provides continuing education opportunities for both teachers and tutors
• hosts conferences, workshops and training ranging from topics of cultural sensitivity to how best to teach an adult with learning disabilities
• connects members to each other and with available resources
• provides a directory of services to human resource managers
• celebrates National Literacy Month

Scholarships

The GMLC offers scholarships to students who have completed their GED or High School Equivalency Diploma and wish to pursue higher education.

Spirit Award

Each year, the GMLC recognizes one or more of its members with the Spirit Award. The award is presented to members who have best shown the spirit of literacy in their work.

Community Service Award

We also present a Community Service Award to an individual, organization or business which is not a literacy provider, but which has contributed to our goals in some way. Past recipients of the award include Journal Communications, Half Price Books, Scholastic, Inc., Milwaukee Social Development Commission, Barbara Manthei, and Carl Wiegel.

History

In 1986, as part of national outreach campaign spearheaded by PBS and ABC television networks, literacy agencies in southeastern Wisconsin formed the local PLUS (Project Literacy US) task force. The task force created public awareness of the alarming number of adults in need of basic literacy services in our community. The Greater Milwaukee Literacy Coalition (GMLC) grew out of this task force. Three years later, it received status as an independent nonprofit organization.