As a passionate and unapologetic advocate for literacy, education, and community development, I find there to be a multitude of opportunities in Muskegon to satiate your thirst for knowledge, to learn something new; however, the predispositions surrounding Muskegon, the whispers of conjecture, have suppressed and discouraged those individuals ambitious enough to branch out. That is where the new, up-and-coming Literacy Hub from Read Muskegon is hoping to break the cycle.
If you talk to our founding board members, they said there was always a vision to create a storefront literacy center,” said Melissa Moore, the executive director of Read Muskegon. “It took us 20 years to be ready to do that and feel comfortable that we could build and sustain it, but we’re making it happen now.”
“We really loved being in Muskegon Heights,” said Moore. “We serve the whole county. It’s right off of the highway, right off of Sherman [Blvd.], [it is] pretty easy for people to get to. But we also love being part of the Muskegon Heights community, so we started looking for other spaces in Muskegon Heights.”
With over $1.8 million raised in campaign funding and another $250 thousand allocated to equipment costs, the Literacy Hub’s expected completion will take approximately five months, with Read Muskegon migrating its operations to the new location this coming spring. The organization has stated they still have 35 percent more to go in the way of funding the hub’s development. The building will be 5300 square feet wide with another 2000 feet of unprogrammed space in the basement level. 
“Our commitment to Muskegon County goes beyond constructing buildings,” said Ben Wickstrom, the President and CEO of Erhardt Construction, the company responsible for the literacy hub’s construction. We believe we have a responsibility to play a role in overall community development and prosperity. I think Erhardt was chosen to build this project because we believe in the mission of Read Muskegon, and I have witnessed firsthand the impact they are making in the community. Our dedication to quality and our alignment with Read Muskegon’s values made us a perfect fit for this project.”
One of the premiere features exclusive to the new Literacy Hub will include the addition of a childcare center for adults participating in Read Muskegon’s literacy programs, providing citizens with ample support to help them attain their educational goals.
This literacy hub is just one component of a vibrant, diverse and highly functioning community, and we hope that they can fill the needs of people that need help with literacy so that they can be more effective in employment opportunities,” said Jeff Olsen, the Director of Pre-Construction & Project Executive for Erhardt Construction.
Since Read Muskegon’s inception in 2005, the nonprofit organization has committed its existence to transforming the lives of adults and children alike by shattering literacy barriers through teaching reading, writing, and English language skills necessary to be a contributing member to society to all community members who need it. To celebrate the nonprofit’s twentieth anniversary, the literacy hub will be the catalyst for a new means of introducing literacy skills to a much broader community.
“I was deeply moved by the personal stories given by people who have benefited from the programs provided by Read Muskegon,” Wickstrom commented. “The services provided by Read Muskegon are changing lives, and we are honored to be a part of it. This new facility will improve access for their clients, as well as expand their services, geographic outreach, and enhance their ability to serve more people and continue the impactful work done by Read Muskegon. We hope that the development of this literacy hub will continue to support the incredible work done by Read Muskegon and make a lasting positive impact on the community.”
It is estimated that over 54 percent of adults in the United States read at or below a middle school level, with another 20 percent of the latter reading below a fourth-grade level. Read Muskegon is taking the necessary steps to forward not only the immediate area’s educational needs, but the entire state’s necessity for initiative and commitment to literacy programs. Keeping the operation in Muskegon Heights, an area with immediate need for literacy programs, was a significant factor to the new operation, but it doesn’t deter from the overall goal to provide these services to all members of all diverse communities in need.
“There is a perception that we’re in Muskegon Heights because that’s the community that has the need,” said Moore. “But I will say that the need is everywhere… When you’re looking at half the country of adults struggling to read, it isn’t isolated in just one community, but [we] did choose to be in Muskegon Heights because it is a community where there is significant need as well… So having this hub, I think it is a symbol of our hope for the future, and I think a big part of that is that a piece of the work we do is to help our participants understand the power they have when they increase their literacy, and we help them understand how they can use that power to change their own communities, to better their own life and the lives of their families.”
To learn more about Read Muskegon and the services the nonprofit provides, please CLICK HERE TO VISIT READ MUSKEGON ONLINE
