[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 72 (Thursday, May 13, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E839]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  RECOGNIZING THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE DURHAM LITERACY CENTER AND 
              HONORING ITS FOUNDER, MRS. MARY WHALEY PAUL

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DAVID E. PRICE

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 13, 2010

  Mr. PRICE of North Carolina. Madam Speaker, I rise today to 
acknowledge the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Durham Literacy Center 
and to honor its founder (and my constituent), Mrs. Mary Whaley Paul. 
Mrs. Paul has led a remarkable life and, along the way, she managed to 
spearhead the campaign against illiteracy in Durham, North Carolina.
  Like so many people who achieve great things, Mrs. Paul didn't set 
out to become a literacy advocate. In 1975, she was a widowed mother of 
two nearing retirement age. But she attended a workshop on teaching 
literacy skills to illiterate adults, and the course of her life was 
forever changed. By 1978, Mrs. Paul had begun leading her own literacy-
instruction workshops, and she had become director of the Yates Baptist 
Literacy program that same year.
  The creation of the Durham County Literacy Council in May of 1985 was 
a direct result of Mrs. Paul's efforts to spread adult literacy 
instruction and increase the number of literate adults throughout 
Durham County. This Council later became the Durham Literacy Center.
  The Durham Literacy Center targets the provision of its services to 
those most in need: adults who lack basic literacy skills, recent 
immigrants, and out-of-school teenagers. Since its inception, a small 
but dedicated staff has trained more than 2,000 literacy tutors who 
have served more than 12,000 Durham residents. The Center currently 
serves more than 550 adults per year at seven locations in Durham.
  Growing along with Durham, the Center has evolved from a small 
organization to a pivotal provider of a variety of educational 
services. In addition to instruction in reading and writing, the Center 
helps individuals gain educational credentials (such as a GED) and 
provides instruction in workplace, computer, financial, and health 
literacy.
  The impact of the Center on the lives of its graduates is Mrs. Paul's 
most compelling legacy. For starters, graduates earn an average of 
$7,500 more per year than their counterparts who lack a GED or are not 
proficient in English. But in addition to securing better employment 
because of the skills they learn at the Durham Literacy Center, they 
also go on to receive promotions, purchase homes, improve their health, 
and enjoy a better quality of life.
  Over the years, the Durham Literacy Center has become one of Durham's 
greatest assets, and the organization's achievements have much to do 
with the foresight and dream of Mary Whaley Paul and those who followed 
her. Mrs. Paul helped to illuminate a hidden segment of the Research 
Triangle populace--the non-reader--and has been instrumental in 
alleviating the severe economic and social stigma under which they 
struggle. She also has been a beacon of hope and inspiration for 
thousands to volunteer and make a difference in the Durham community.
  It is in that spirit that I urge my colleagues to join me in 
celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Durham Literacy Center and in 
honoring Mrs. Mary Whaley Paul for her efforts to empower the people of 
Durham County through literacy.

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