"Unfortunately, Jim had lent the book to a relative who had lost it. I thought it would be worth checking to see if our public library had a copy. When I consulted with the librarian we discovered not only was there a copy in the library's collection, there was also an extra copy that she was willing to give to Jim. He was delighted and vowed never to lend the book to anyone again."

A cheerfully dedicated mother of three grown children, Marilyn is well-known for her generosity and her commitment to her program. She has been asked many times to sit on provincial literacy boards and committees but has declined for fear of taking precious time away from the students and tutors, the people she feels who most require her attention.

Rocky Mountain House is a community of 3500 people. Marilyn works 2 days a week with an average of 25 to 30 student/tutor pairs. In a small community, Marilyn meets students and tutors "around every corner".

"I met a lady once," Marilyn told me, "in from of the second hand shop. We were both waiting for the salesgirl to come back from lunch and reopen the store. The girl was late and it was quite cold so I said to the lady, 'Would you like to just sit in the car and wait with me?' She said, 'Sure'. I told her who I was and she told me her name. She thought my name rang a bell but wasn't quite sure why. I told her that I was the coordinator of the literacy program and she said, 'Oh yeah, I was supposed to look you up.'"

"I didn't know if she needed help or if it was a family member who had wanted her to contact me so I was careful about my questions. It eventually came out that she was a recovering alcoholic and AA had suggested that she see me about getting some help with her reading."

"She did eventually come and sign up with the program. I matched her with a tutor whom I thought would be gentle with her. She came bouncing into the library just the other day with a big smile on her face like a totally changed person. All because, she told me, she now believes that she can learn."

I remember once talking to Marilyn about the qualifications needed to be a literacy coordinator. She said to me, "I am a trained teacher and I am a good mother." When I looked surprised she added, "I think being a mom qualifies you for a lot!"

Marilyn's good nature and generosity reaches well past her dedication to teach people to read. "I find I am able to help people in other real ways - other than just teaching. I like that; it fits well into my lifestyle. Through the literacy program, we have been able to help the low income people a lot, helping them to find supplies and clothes and household items, even food. I know we're not really supposed to go beyond literacy but as a Christian, I do those things outside of my working hours. Many of the students really need people to help and befriend them."

"When I wonder, 'Should I bother with a Christmas party this year', I stop and think and realize that many of these people won't have another Christmas party to go to. So I bother because it's important and we always have a great time."

"A Department like Social Services has so many people to deal with, they can't possibly deal with people on a personal basis. But our program isn't that large so we are able to do more. If we're not supposed to help our fellow man, then why are we here?"

"I like this job because it's a good contact with people who need help and I have the help to give. One coordinator in one community can really touch the lives of many people in the course of her work there. She can help to create a lot of positive human development and she can be a catalyst for positive change. We don't get a lot of money for the funding of our programs but there are no better dollars spent than that."