As to the volunteer literacy factor, students are in every phase of the volunteer literacy program now. When I started, this was not true. Students have even become directors in programs. There are student groups all over the country now. And we are poised to become our own voice, our own national organization. My greatest achievement is I’ve always been a part of the spearhead. I make things happen.

Summary of Home, Family and Community Involvement

Participants’ home, family and community involve ment are interwoven threads that make up the fabric of their daily lives. While each component can and will be reported upon separately, it is the interactions that provide us with an understanding of how participants’ learning has affected their lives.

HOME AND FINANCIAL SECURITY

• Nearly 75 percent of participants own one or more homes and regard the ownership thereof as a significant achievement.

• Participant’s ownership of property (homes, cars and computers) bears out the “middle class” status they reported in the Impact Survey.

• A home represents a critical element in preserving family “safety” and “togetherness” for participants whose former family backgrounds were dysfunctional.

FAMILY INTERACTIONS

• According to the QOLI, participants are highly satisfied with their children; the group average for Children is 4.3 out of a possible 6.0 points. This equals their satisfaction with Goals and Values and is only exceeded by the areas of Helping and Self-Esteem (4.5).

• Their high scores reported for Helping (4.4) are in part indicative of the satisfaction they receive from raising siblings, grandchildren, nieces, nephews and foster children.

• To guarantee that their children will not suffer from a lack of education, partic ipants have set examples for their families and established rules about studies and schooling.

• The statistics for the educational attainment of participants’ children (See "participants’ children") suggest that their examples are viable, their rules work, and that parents who acquire self-esteem as successful ABLE participants can reverse the cycle of illiteracy to one of educational growth from generation to generation.

SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY

• Service to the family usually paves the way for service to the broader community.

• For most participants, involvement in school and church activities serve as the pathway to community service.