Fox Valley Literacy Releases Region’s First-Ever State of Literacy Report

Fox Valley Literacy has released the area’s first-ever State of Literacy Report, a study that outlines the challenges and opportunities our community holds around literacy in the Fox Valley Region. This work was made possible through a grant from the David L. and Rita E. Nelson Family Fund within the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region.

Megan Schuessler, Vice President of Donor Services & Gift Planning, Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region stated, “Through the Nelson Family Fund grant, this report may be the spark to bring our community together, a catalyst to move forward and better our broader community of all ages. Ensuring the literacy journey extended to all ages, demographics, and beyond traditional education is what matched most with their charitable intentions and fits with the Community Foundation’s mission.”

The report reveals, based on surveys and interviews with 804 adults across Northeast Wisconsin, how often everyday tasks become significant barriers for community members. Whether navigating healthcare information, managing personal finances, or finding trustworthy sources online, literacy challenges touch nearly every aspect of daily life.

• 58% of respondents struggle to find reliable information online
• 49% struggle to understand rights, responsibilities, and official procedures
• 47% face challenges with healthcare information
• 48% struggle managing finances
• 44% struggle helping children with school work or communications

Read the full report: State of Literacy | Fox Valley Literacy

These numbers are more than statistics as they represent our neighbors and coworkers who face daily obstacles that many of us take for granted. Brian Leone Tracy, Fox Valley Literacy Executive Director, noted at the report’s release, understanding these challenges is essential to building independence, confidence, and genuine connection for adults across our communities, “We needed to know how literacy is used in everyday life as well as its biggest roadblocks.”

This report gives nonprofits and education centers a shared foundation of data to guide action and a common reference point from which to coordinate, collaborate, and invest. The report offers practical guidance for how organizations can begin to respond. A few key recommendations include using video and accessible media in place of text-heavy materials, avoiding assumptions about a person’s reading or comprehension level, and addressing literacy challenges upstream, starting in schools, financial institutions, healthcare settings, and other community touchpoints where people regularly seek help.

The David L. and Rita E. Nelson Family Fund within the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region is a permanent, donor-advised endowment that generates millions of dollars in grants annually to charitable organizations reflecting the philanthropic interests of the late David and Rita Nelson and their family, primarily in the Fox Cities, Green Bay, and Door County areas. These interests include parks, recreation and waterways; education; health care; community services and community centers; historic preservation and history — including lighthouses, museums and historical societies; and community catalyst opportunities.

The Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region, a Fox Cities-based nonprofit founded in 1986, helps people provide long-term support for favorite charities through endowments and other charitable funds. The second-largest certified community foundation in Wisconsin, its donors have allowed it to award more than $526 million to nonprofit organizations from more than 1,898 charitable funds. Affiliated community foundations operate in Brillion, Chilton, Clintonville, Shawano, and Waupaca. To learn more, go to www.cffoxvalley.org, subscribe to The Loop at www.cffoxvalley.org/loop or connect with us on Facebook and LinkedIn.