10 Jun Special thanks to Muskogee Area Literacy Council Volunteers

Charlotte Crank, Tom Knotts, Juanita Vinson, Jo Munding, and Nickie Butler are just a few of the Muskogee community members who recognized the importance of offering an adult literacy program that would help adults improve their literacy skills.

They understood that setting up a literacy program would not only benefit the individual who took part, but the community itself. Approximately 25 community members had the opportunity to attend a Laubach Tutor Training Workshop to learn how to create such a program.

This was a significant decision made for Muskogee. In 1978, after a time of preparation, the Muskogee Literacy Council was organized, bylaws and a constitution were written and they were well on their way to establishing the adult literacy program. In 2024, it can take around two years to start and begin building a literacy program.

Amazingly, this group of Muskogee residents, launched the program in 1979, only one year later. Since that time, it has continued to grow. New opportunities have been added throughout the years including helping adults improve their English skills, pass the GED and Citizenships tests, and improve computer skills.

There is much history in our community and successes of smaller organizations are sometimes overlooked. The Muskogee Literacy Council, now known as the Muskogee Area Literacy Council, has been going strong for forty-six years.

Countless goals and many accomplishments have come about for adults of Muskogee due to the awareness of Muskogee residents who saw a concern and created a program to meet it. The organization of the Muskogee Literacy Council was definitely a team effort and all the members deserve recognition for their creation that continues today.

Penny Chastain is the adult literacy coordinator at the Muskogee Public Library, a branch of the Eastern Oklahoma Library System.