About Us...

The Calhoun-Gordon Council for a Literate Community was organized in 1991 and has remained an active presence in both school systems and the business community since its formation.  In 2001, it was successful in accomplishing the arduous process of certifying Gordon County as a literate community. Today, the Council supports adult learners at Georgia Northwestern Technical College as well as young learners throughout both school systems. It works to create and maintain positive attitudes about education, literacy and the value of a high school credential.
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The Council is managed by a board of directors including Melissa Blevins with Georgia Northwestern Technical College, Michelle Doane-Beeler with Calhoun City Schools, Nyala Edwards with the Calhoun-Gordon County Library, Allison Eubanks with Calhoun City Schools, Jaime Garrett with Calhoun City Schools, Mendy Goble with Gordon County Schools, Beth Herod with Gordon County Schools, Beth Holcomb with Calhoun City Schools, Alice Masburn with Gordon County Schools, David McLeod (retired educator), Cindy Nelson with Georgia Northwestern Technical College, Phyllis Purdy (retired educator), Jane Rierson with Mannington Mills, Deidre Ross with Calhoun City Schools, Julie Stephens with Precision Service, Dr. Michele Taylor with Calhoun City Schools, and Anne Vaughn, retired educator.
 
Mashburn serves as Board President, while Stephens serves as Secretary, Goble serves as Chief Financial Officer, Nelson serves as treasurer and Vaughn, the only Charter member, serves as Executive Advisor. Joni Harbin is the agency’s Executive Director.  Calhoun-Gordon Council for a Literate Community is a United Way agency.
 
The Calhoun-Gordon Council for a Literate Community is an active entity in our community. The council is comprised of community leaders, local educators, and representatives from the surrounding business community.  We have an executive board comprised of a Director, President, Secretary, Treasurer and CFO. As a member of the Certified Literacy Community Project (CLCP), our main purpose is to increase literacy and promote literacy awareness in Calhoun and Gordon County. Our local council meets quarterly to plan and implement projects and fundraisers to achieve these goals.
We focus on two main areas: Adult  Education and Family Literacy. Please visit these pages to learn more about  our work in these areas.
FACTS about literacy in Georgia: 
  • 75% of unemployed adults have reading or writing difficulties
  • 75% of all food stamp recipients perform in the two lowest levels of literacy
  • 24% of patients with low literacy skills do not know how to take medication 4 times per day
  • 50% of adults without a high school diploma are learning disabled
  • 85% of all juvenile offenders have reading problems
  • 7 in 10 prisoners perform in the two lowest levels of literacy
  • Low literacy costs Georgia $2.1 billion annually
  • Removing language barriers can reduce time per task by 30%
  • Children’s literacy levels are linked to the educational level of their parents, especially the mother
  • Children who have not developed basic literacy practices when they enter school are 3 to 4 times more likely to drop out
  • More than 60% of front line workers in goods producing industries have difficulty applying information from a text to a required task
  • The US military spends $70 million annually for basic skills remediation for new recruits
  • In the 21st century, 60% of all jobs will require skills that only 20% of the current workforce has
  • Over 1 million Georgia residents 18 and older do not have a high school diploma