Literacy to me means freedom and independence. Without the ability to read and/or write one might feel lost. People who can't read or write, a lot of the time hide it and live their life, but they don't live life to the fullest. It's kind of like jumping into a swimming pool and not being able to swim. On the same note, once you learn you never forget and you only get better with practice.

People need to learn how to read because it's important. I think that readers are more helpful with directions and important decisions to lead us through the right path. When I'm a magnificent reader and writer, I'll become a lawyer.

To know how to read and write is an essential in our lives for so many different reasons. To me surviving was very important because I immigrated to Canada and I never went to school to learn. Later I found out that without having any knowledge and skills, it feels like you are blind. So literacy is life.

I started in September 2004. One of the things the READ Society helped me with was to read better. Another thing is that I'm doing better in school. I still have trouble getting my ideas down on the paper. Another thing I liked was the staff at the READ Society.

If you didn't have the proper literacy skills, you wouldn't be able to express how you feel or what you think to another person. To have all these ideas floating around in your head, and to not be able to put them on paper, it is very frustrating.

To survive and get around in the world, we have to have a good understanding of the things around us. Understanding what we should and shouldn't do. To understand what people are asking of us, doing a certain task the right and safe way. It's all about understanding and doing.

Jobs require you to use some or more numeracy skills. Whether you're a programmer compiling codes, or a cashier counting and calculating money, you need to know your way around the numbers.

I came to READ to have balance in life and to look forward to reading a book. I would like to have the power to get a good job and make good money. I want to be able to give my son a good life and all the opportunities I never had. Coming to READ has been a huge stepping stone for me. When I leave READ I am going into Practical Nursing. I would not be able to do this if literacy was not important to me.