Frontlines JUNE Student and tutor (left) at the Army’s St. Joseph County, Indiana Kroc Community Center. Nathanial (right) reads his very own “Anytime Bible.” Changing Lives one word at a time! “I can read!” So says James of Lincoln, Nebraska, along with about 4,000 other young people who are no longer destined to join the 92 million adults in the USA who cannot read the newspaper, a prescription or job applications. James’ reading ability now matches his elementary school level after participating in The Salvation Army’s Mission: Literary Tutoring Program. He enjoys reading his own Bible, presented him by the American Bible Society, which helped create the tutoring program and provides free curriculum materials to any Salvation Army center trained to offer the program. Since the pilot program began in the Army’s New Jersey Division in 2006, more than 1,700 personnel from 39 states have been trained to tutor students in academically at–risk communities served by the Army. The program is also underway in Australia, Kenya, Ghana and the Marshall Islands. The saddest casualties of illiteracy in America are the children affected by intergenerational illiteracy, notes Dawn Sharp, the Army’s Mission: Literacy national director. When parents can’t read, children enter school without basic writing, speaking, listening or comprehension skills. Mission Literacy’s multicultural approach has reached Hispanics, Caucasians, Asians, African Americans, Chinese Native Americans and other groups, and is also used successfully with adults in reading and English as a Second Language classes. “Most of the low-income children we work with . . . just need help to catch up,” observes Dawn. “The Salvation Army can reach out with God-breathed Scriptures and the instructional guidance of Mission: Literacy to support their academic growth and to build an understanding that God is with them.” For more information visit www.salvationarmynj.org/missionliteracy. To obtain program materials for Army divisions/corps in the East, South and West Territories email [email protected]. org, phone: 908-851-8316. In the Central email Jan.hendrickson@ usc.salvationarmy.org, phone: 651-746-3416. The War Cry | JUNE 2013 5