Legacy Family Center MN

      A segment of Minnesota’s diverse population does not have the basic literacy skills necessary for employment in an economy where the demand for higher-level skills is growing.

      1 in 12 Minnesotans is foreign-born, and immigrants and refugees constitute 10.5% of the state’s population. These immigrants and refugees face added social challenges due to lower literacy rates. As a demographic group, their children’s reading proficiency rates are ranked at the bottom in standardized tests.

      According to the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), literacy is 'the ability to understand, evaluate, use, and engage with written texts to participate in society, to achieve one’s goals, and to develop one’s knowledge and potential.

 Lack of literacy is a social problem with long-term negative consequences for individuals, families, and society.

 Low literacy is correlated with the following:

• Increasing risk of addictions and drug dependencies
• Lesser employment opportunities and lower income
• Poorer health outcomes
• Higher school dropout rates
• Increasing risk of homelessness
• Lower self-esteem and poorer mental wellbeing
• Higher suicide rates
• Greater welfare dependency
• Lack of participation in society
• Poorer student educational outcomes. Parental literacy rates are one of the most significant predictors of student success.

      Legacy Family Center MN works to address low literacy in immigrant and refugee families (specifically those from West African countries) by providing programs linked with reading and financial literacy; mental, emotional, and physical well-being; career exploration; and independence.

         Our mission is to provide culturally appropriate support services that meet West African refugee and immigrant families’ needs and to promote early literacy and access to resources to enable all family members to thrive in their homes and communities.

 Our programs are designed to:

·         Make literacy accessible to immigrant and refugee families

·         Prevent early literacy delays by exposing young children to consistent reading

·         Incentivize youth to acquire literacy skills to help them break the cycle of poverty

·         Offer guidance to families towards better opportunities for self-sufficiency

·         Connect families to services and community resources to minimize barriers to self-sufficiency

·         Build confidence and develop healthy family relationships

 During the past year, we:

·         Served 900 children in Brooklyn Park and Brooklyn Center

·         Distributed 2,800 books

·         Disbursed $9,000 to youth in monthly $100 mini awards as part of our financial literacy program.

·         Provided counseling, training, and assistance to 35 individuals

·         Hosted community support events for 300 families

 We are working hard to raise $15,000 to cover operating costs and provide resources for our programs.

         Would you be willing to help us reach our goal by donating? Your support would contribute to improving low literacy and poverty alleviation, developing a future productive workforce, and ensuring a thriving future for us all. All donations are tax-deductible.

          Legacy Family Center MN is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization serving West African refugee and immigrant families in Brooklyn Park and Brooklyn Center, Minnesota.