Executive Director’s Letter

By John Trischitti III
Executive Director, Literacy Coalition of the Permian Basin

With the release of our first annual report, the Literacy Coalition of the Permian Basin celebrates its 2nd year of working to improve literacy rates across the 22-county area we serve. Since our founding, we have impacted over 10,000 individuals through sub-grants, programming, and book distributions with our 75 coalition members.

The 2022-2023 fiscal year marked the first as a standalone 501(c)(3), after spending our first year in the start-up incubator of Midland Shared Spaces. The results of the 2022 Needs Assessment from the American Institute of Research, and the Economic Impact Study, on how low literacy affects the local economy, act as the north star for our work. 2022 saw the expansion of the POWER Bag initiative into Ft. Stockton, with the Pecos County Hospital joining the five other hospital partners in distributing POWER Bags, which include a book to start a home library and other child wellness information. Midland County Drug Court and Teen Court continue to refer clients for literacy assessments to better assess the opportunity for personal growth and cut down on recidivism. We also awarded more than $60,000 in sub-grants to area literacy organizations and initiatives across West Texas and Eastern New Mexico to increase programming capacity to address low literacy.

The coming year will see LCPB host our first annual fundraising event, partnering with the Laura Bush Institute for Women’s Health Institute in bringing Jenna and Barbara Bush to Midland. The new fiscal year will also see the launch of the Laura Bush Ladies for Literacy. United by our mission to serve the community, we strive to create a supportive network of passionate women who are committed to advancing literacy and making a lasting impact. LCPB remains committed to further expansion of existing programs, while building infrastructure and capacity, to address low literacy in areas without current offerings.

I want to express my appreciation to our funders, stakeholders, board members, partners, and staff for their ongoing support and commitment to this worthwhile cause. Only together can we tackle an issue as large and impactful as low literacy.