More than 90 million1 Americans are considered to be undereducated.
But Sofia isn’t one of them. Not anymore.
Sofia (not her real name, to protect her privacy) is a Lehigh Valley resident who moved to the U.S. with her family about a decade ago from a Spanish-speaking country.
With little formal education, and unable to speak English, Sofia enrolled in a beginner’s level English as a Second Language (ESL) class, offered free of charge by ProJeCt of Easton, a nonprofit organization. For 55 years, ProJeCt of Easton has provided educational, workplace and life skills training for undereducated and lower-income individuals throughout Lehigh Valley.
Just before each class, Sofia would drop off her infant daughter at ProJeCt’s pre-K program in its Early Childhood Education Center, where children ages 3 months to 5 years are set up for success in kindergarten and beyond. Then she would walk the short distance to ProJeCt’s Fowler Literacy Center for her own three-hour ESL instruction, followed by a one-hour class on how to bring literacy into the home.
“What we’re offering is family literacy,” says Erin Roman, director of programs for ProJeCt. “Our pre-K program is unique because it removes one of the barriers to learning for people like Sofia and her children. When the whole family is literate, children are prepared to have a successful educational career.”
And that is exactly what has occurred in Sofia’s household. Today, Sofia – who now is fully bilingual – has just one more test to pass before earning her GED diploma through ProJeCt; after that, she plans to attend community college to pursue a career as a chef. Her daughter is thriving in school, thanks in part to her participation in SIZZLE!®, a free ProJeCt summer camp for Easton Area School District children to further their academic skills.
Sofia and her family are among the more than 5,000 people, originating from 35 countries, who are aided annually by ProJeCt for Easton, through its adult education, family literacy, food bank and other programs. Each ProJeCt initiative is designed to give low-income residents the skills and resources needed to break the cycle of poverty and achieve their goals.
A longtime financial supporter of ProJeCt is Truist, a top-10 commercial bank in the U.S., whose purpose is to inspire and build better lives and communities. That bold mission aligns perfectly with ProJeCt, according to Schnearia Ashley, a former community development manager before recently becoming a commercial banker.
“We are proud to be supporting ProJeCt of Easton, which does so much to support the needs of Lehigh Valley,” says Ashley. “Being able to provide resources to give ProJeCt a boost is so meaningful, especially when we see how ProJeCt and Truist are working toward achieving many of the same goals for the community.”
Ashley notes that many of the Easton branch team have benefitted from educational and development programs from ProJeCt and other nonprofits.
“The work ProJeCt is doing is truly transformative. We encourage other corporations to join in their fight to help Lehigh Valley families reach self-sufficiency,” adds Ashley, who says that Truist employees are also providing free financial management training through ProJeCt.
Only about 1/3 of ProJeCt’s $2.07 million annual budget is government funded, meaning that the organization relies heavily on corporate partners like Truist and individual donors to bolster its programming. The need continues to grow, as currently 40 people are on a waiting list to begin ESL or GED training, which is provided by paid staff – many of whom are retired educators – and volunteers.
“While much of Truist’s funding since 2011 has been for our pre-K program, Truist impacts our entire organization. Thanks to their support, we can free up funds to use for other programs,” says Kim Checkeye, ProJeCt’s executive director.
Adds Roman, “The ProJeCt/Truist partnership is so valuable because our organizations know that education removes so many barriers faced by undereducated or low-income families. And, like with Sofia’s family, we see the impact every day.”
To learn more about ProJeCt of Easton – including how to donate to or be a volunteer for the organization – visit projecteaston.org
1 ProPublica, “America’s Adult Education System Is Broken. Here’s How Experts Say We Can Fix It,” Dec. 23, 2022.