Poverty, certifications, education, language skills, self-enrichment.

All of those concepts and their implications are related and interrelated. All of those concepts and implications are relevant and intersect at the Literacy Council of Lancaster-Lebanon.

"I would add health to that list," said Cheryl Hiester, who's been the executive director of the Literacy Council of Lancaster-Lebanon for 18 years. "There's a correlation between literacy and health. The ability to read and write English and fully participate in today's world can impact every single aspect of an adult's life. You can't be fully engaged in your child's education if you don't have those skills. Those are significant barriers."

The Literacy Council of Lancaster-Lebanon, which is located at 407 Lafayette St., Lancaster, is dedicated to enriching lives and helping individuals reach their full potential through adult education. Not only does the local nonprofit promote the concept of lifelong learning, it embraces it.

"We're an agency who serves adults," said Hiester. "They come to us to improve their basic skills. For many, they're people who are new to the county and need to learn English. Anything you would've done in public education as a kid and didn't get to do, you can do with us. We meet our clients where they are to make sure our instruction is meeting their needs, so they can take the next steps in their lives."

The Literacy Council of Lancaster-Lebanon, which works closely with Lancaster-Lebanon Intermediate Unit 13, provides instruction in basic education skills like reading, writing, math, social studies and science and prepares students to acquire high school equivalency certifications. The Literacy Council also offers a digital literacy program to help novices navigate the technology world and an international health care professionals' program, which helps immigrant professionals like doctors and nurses obtain the skills and licenses required to practice medicine here.

The Literacy Council does not provide job training, but the organization does provide educational support for individuals preparing for job training and higher forms of education.

"There are a lot of people in the community who don't have their high school diplomas," said Hiester, a resident of Mount Joy. "The career awareness gives people an opportunity to learn about the opportunities available to them. Some employers require high school credentials to hire individuals. If you want to go on to higher education, you need that credential. Others may want to show their children the importance of education. Most people don't drop out of school on purpose."

The Literacy Council of Lancaster-Lebanon is currently serving about 500 individuals in its service area, but there are an estimated 120,000 residents who could benefit from the organization's programs. Participants must be age 18 or older and live in either of the two counties, and they can't be enrolled in school.

"They are people who want to improve their lives through education," said Hiester. "They want to get better jobs. They want to continue their educations. They want to improve their credentials or Americanize their educations. Thirty-five percent of the students we serve have a diploma. The people who come to us are a diverse group."

Hiester said that there are currently 55,987 working-age adults living in Lancaster County who do not possess a high school diploma. About 22% of Lancaster County's 380,144 adult residents or 83,631 individuals are functioning at or below Level 1 literacy.

Hiester also said that, on the average, 100 hours of adult education corresponds to about $9,621 a year in employee income.

"Some of our students are living in homes with a large amount of stress," said Hiester. "Families living in poverty might move frequently. There may be behavioral health issues that make it difficult to complete educations. There are a lot of people living in Lancaster County who came here as refugees and didn't learn English. Every person has their own journey and experiences. We're here to help them reach their goals."

The Literacy Council of Lancaster-Lebanon, which was founded in 1985, employs 20 workers, some of whom are teachers and tutors. The organization also benefits from the service of volunteer instructors.

The Literacy Council is funded through state and federal resources provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, grants from local foundations, resources from the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, fundraising events and the efforts of the United Way of Lebanon County.

"One of our big fears is that the federal funding is at risk," said Hiester. "That funding is the backbone of adult literacy and education. I want people to feel inspired to help. I want people to advocate for people struggling with these skills."

For additional information, go to https://literacysuccess.org.