Ruth Colvin to Receive Medal of Freedom

ProLiteracy congratulates board member

Syracuse, N.Y.
December 8, 2006

Adult literacy advocate and ProLiteracy Worldwide lifetime Board of Directors member Ruth J. Colvin will be honored by President George W. Bush December 15 with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Colvin is one of 10 people to receive the award, the nation’s highest civilian award. She is being honored for “dedicating her life to helping the less fortunate gain the reading and language skills they need to succeed,” according to a White House news release.

Colvin founded Literacy Volunteers of America, Inc. 44 years ago after learning that more than 11,000 adults in her home community of Syracuse, NY could read only at the lowest level of literacy. LVA trained volunteers in simple, learner-centered methods to teach reading. In 2001, LVA merged with Laubach Literacy International to create ProLiteracy Worldwide, the world’s largest adult basic education and adult literacy organization. Colvin still serves on ProLiteracy’s board of directors.

“ProLiteracy and its entire network of U.S. affiliates and international partner programs congratulate Ruth on this prestigious award,” said Robert Wedgeworth, ProLiteracy president and CEO. “We know first hand the impact that her work has had on individual learners and on the entire adult literacy field. And we are very fortunate that we continue to benefit from her experience and counsel as a member of ProLiteracy’s board.”

The Medal of Freedom, originally established to honor civilian contributions to World War II, now recognizes "any person who has made an especially meritorious contribution to (1) the security or national interests of the United States, or (2) world peace, or (3) cultural or other significant public or private endeavors."

Colvin will be honored in a White House ceremony scheduled for Friday, December 15. Other recipients include:
- Norman C. Francis, Xavier University of Louisiana president
- Paul Johnson, historian
- Blues musician Riley “B.B.” King
- Joshua Lederberg, scientist
- Historian and author David McCullough
- Norman Mineta, the longest-serving U.S. secretary of transportation
- John “Buck” O’Neil, the first black coach in Major League Baseball
- Writer and commentator William Safire
- Natan Sharansky, Russian civil liberties advocate

About ProLiteracy
ProLiteracy Worldwide, the world’s largest organization of adult literacy programs, represents 1,200 local program affiliates in all 50 states and 120 partner programs in 62 developing countries. ProLiteracy provides local literacy programs with the training, technical assistance, materials, and other support they need to provide one-on-one, small group, and classroom instruction in literacy and English as a second language to adults and their families. These affiliates and partners work with more than 350,000 adult literacy students each year. ProLiteracy Worldwide has its headquarters in Syracuse, N.Y. For more information, please visit www.proliteracy.org.