United Way invested $184,785 in 11 partner agencies changeing lives for 6,019 local people.

Nick's Story

"My (Literacy Volunteers) tutor helped me learn in a way I couldn't at school. She made me see a green light for going on in school. "

At 17, Nick Livingston hated school and couldn't imagine why he would need his high school diploma. When he found out that he could have a job fishing for herring, he decided it was time to quit school and make some money. Herring fishing wasn't what he had hoped. He was able to get a part-time job with the Public Works Department in Boothbay and then Boothbay Harbor. He was able to get his commercial driver's license, but was limited by not having graduated from high school. At age 20, Nick was only able to find part-time work.

Nick's foreman, Chris Leeman, set Nick a challenge: if he wanted to work full-time, he would need to get his GED within six months. Boothbay Harbor's Adult Education program offered the courses he needed but pre-testing showed that Nick's math skills were too limited to allow him to progress with the program. The adult education director referred Nick to Tri-County Literacy Volunteers, where he was matched with a math tutor who Nick says was "nice and helped me understand math." From May through the summer Nick worked on math with his LVA tutor and friends. By the fall, Nick was ready to repeat the math test, which he passed with an "exceedingly high score."

Nick now has his GED, a full-time job, and new goals for himself, including continuing his education.