In 1988, volunteers from Attleboro came together through the Literacy Corps to address the needs of the community for a literacy program. Through the work of this original group, The Literacy Center was incorporated in 1990. Since 1997 it has operated as a non-profit organization providing opportunity for hundreds of residents of Attleboro and the surrounding communities to gain the skills needed to reach their personal and employment goals.

The Literacy Center is housed in the Sweet Mansion in downtown Attleboro. Built by the first mayor of Attleboro, it is now owned by the City and managed by the Attleboro Library Trustees. The Literacy Center has occupied the building since 1993. It is handicapped accessible and on the bus line. The warm atmosphere of the building contributes to the comfort level of the students, many of whom did not succeed in a traditional academic setting. The building is also an asset to our after school program, enabling children to spread out and work on individual projects. It is important to us to maintain the building and we appreciate its historic value to Attleboro.

The vision of The Literacy Center is to teach all who are in need; to create a better society through education; and to provide an opportunity for people to serve their community. One of the most distinguishing features of The Literacy Center is its history of extraordinary volunteerism. Community support has enabled the Center to grow in the past and sustains our current efforts. Volunteers serve as tutors, in clerical positions, assist with technology and accounting needs, fundraising and maintenance, and serve on the Board of Directors. We train over 50 new tutors per year and rely on them to assist in class and individually with students who need special attention. We have some tutors who have been with the program for over 10 years. The community has always come forward to help when needed and we receive a great deal of public engagement through the area newspapers and other venues such as cable television and radio. 

The Literacy Center has formed partnerships with the schools, The Sun Chronicle, the Library, and other agencies, and works closely with them. Campaign READ, Attleboro’s efforts to encourage early reading in children, has been led by The Literacy Center. Although we no longer have specific funding targeted to Campaign READ, it was an initiative that had importance and significance to the community and we have made a special effort to keep it alive. We look forward to a continued visible presence as we seek ways to expand our services to meet the needs of the community. While we are able to place many students who come to us for help in class, we still maintain a long waiting list for some classes and for tutoring services.

The Literacy Center has always placed the needs of its students first, offering quality services with integrity and confidentiality. In these difficult financial times we find that the community needs us more than ever, inspiring us to reach out even further to continue our efforts to meet this ever growing need.