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| Image Source: KennethPasternak.com |
As of this writing, millions of people in America can’t even read this sentence to save their lives.
Such is the demon of literacy that it deprives so much for so little. Without the minimum required literacy skills, fluid navigation through society and upward social movement are close to impossible. The statistics, however, is staggering. There are approximately 93 million American adults with basic or below-basic literacy. Of these, 30 million are functionally illiterate and about 63 million below the 5th grade literacy level cannot even understand a basic newspaper. As if these aren’t enough drawbacks, it is also worth noting that the low literacy level is costing the government about $200 billion each year—a cumbersome price to pay for a completely remediable situation.
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| Image Source: ABCNews.com |
Amidst these depressing realities, one fact raises hopes:
Every dollar spent on adult illiteracy yields $7.14 in societal returns — whether through increased revenues or decreased expenditures.
With these premise, many philanthropists have opted to invest on building the country’s literacy. Many individuals, such as John Wood and Alex von Furstenberg, and corporations, like JP Morgan Chase and Bloomberg, have tried contributing to the pitch in efforts to finally put an end to illiteracy.
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| Image Source: Google.Images.com |
The fight against illiteracy is not just a case of being able to rise past the “no read, no write” status, but of breaking free from the bondage of ignorance and being able to live life to the fullest.
Business maven Alex von Furstenberg is a philanthropist who backs over 60 charitable institutions. Learn more about his philanthropic endeavors by logging on to AlexVonFurstenberg.com.
