¨      Functionally illiterate adults cost the United States $224,000,000,000 (that’s BILLION!) each year in remedial education, lost tax revenues, welfare payments, incompetent job performance, and crime.

 ¨      American businesses spend over $40,000,000,000 annually teaching their employees how to read and write.

 ¨      Over 75% of the Tri-City area’s unemployed have inadequate reading skills, skills that could get them a job.

 ¨      Since illiteracy often breeds illiteracy, children of illiterate adults are doomed to be illiterate as well.

 ¨      At present, 25% of our school children are dropping out of school while hundreds of refugees and immigrants flood into our area every year.

 ¨      Out of 5.7 million Virginians today, 1 million are functionally illiterate.