It is Literacy Month! We thank all our volunteer tutors who teach our learners. Our learners show us that it is never too late to learn something new and that they are lifelong learners.

Celebrate the 19th Amendment, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the California Covid Diaries. Go to http://www.easyvoterguide.org/ to learn how to vote. We welcome your California Diaries by contacting us at Readsantaclara.org as well as your comments about this podcast.

We hear from women who share the things that matter to them. We find out that some important things in life include faith, family, history, and education.

The word refuge simply means a place or thing of comfort. Refuge is the root word in refugee. This episode includes stories from immigrants. Some were refugees. We hope their stories will inspire you in seeking your own refuge during times of crisis.

Learn with us about Iranian food, the celebrations for Eritrea's independence, and the story of an immigrant from Mexico. Also, we would like to announce that the California State Library is collecting stories about what life has been like in. Contact us at Readsantaclara.org or visit https://libraryliteracy.org/special-projects/covid-diaries/ to learn more.

Celebrate this Pride Month with us. We read two stories that will make you feel good. We also are going to hear from a learner who is part of the LGBTQ community. After all her challenges with life and reading, she actually wrote a book called Changes and Challenges. Her name is Suzie Keels and her book is now available on Amazon.

It takes courage to take risks and reach for our goals. We have two stories of learners who we consider to be courageous. Learn more about our program at Readsantaclara.org

Persistence is an important quality. It means to never give up. For this episode, we have stories from 3 people who never quit.

This week is National Volunteer week. We thank all those who volunteer and share stories of how they make a difference. We also have some wise words from the mother of the literacy movement, Ruth Colvin! We will start releasing episodes every 2 weeks. Please like, follow, share and come back to join us again.

This week is National Volunteer week. We thank all those who volunteer and share stories of how they make a difference. We also have some wise words from the mother of the literacy movement, Ruth Colvin!