After nearly 20 years working in the logging industry, Tim
Krogh, 42, was laid off. Krogh knew he needed to find a new career-there was
only one obstacle holding him back: he had trouble reading and writing.
"I got comfortable with logging," Krogh said. "But when that
ended, I knew I had to figure something out."
One in six adults in Whatcom County
is functionally illiterate (Whatcom Literacy Council 2009). For people like
Krogh, making a living and raising a family can sometimes get in the way of
finding help.
Krogh started a reading class at Bellingham Technical
College but found the
class frustrating because of how many students there were.
A teacher told Krogh about the Whatcom Literacy Council
(WLC), a partner agency of United
Way of Whatcom County (UWWC) that recruits and
trains volunteers to teach illiterate adults to read and write. Krogh was given
a free assessment and began twice weekly one-on-one tutoring sessions with the
WLC. Each session is one and a half hours and has taken dedication to fit into
Krogh's busy schedule.
With his new skills Krogh was able to find a job operating a
drudge for Concrete Norwest, but found he had trouble completing the daily
paperwork he needed to turn in.
"I was tired after 12 hour days of working," Krogh said. "I
forced myself to stick with the tutoring sessions because reading and writing were
things that I really wanted to know how to do."
Krogh has received tutoring for the past five months. Paperwork
has become a lot easier for Krogh since his first day on the job. At his
tutoring sessions, he brings material from work to receive help on. He has also
compiled a book of words he uses frequently at work so he can spell them
correctly if he forgets.
Krogh is determined to continue learning how to read and
write. In addition to helping him succeed at work, Krogh said daily activities
such as going to the doctor's office are easier for him to do alone. He is also
able to make a better living working outside of the logging industry.
"Learning how to read and write has given me confidence. I
told myself I was going to stick with it and get out of logging," Krogh said.
"I've always known that I had trouble-but I was just busy trying to make a
living."
The Whatcom Literacy Council is a non-profit organization
dedicated to increasing the literacy of adults in Whatcom County
since 1978. The council is one of 32 partner agencies that meet standards of
high effectiveness and efficiency, and receive funding support from the UWWC
Community Safety Net.
