About Us at Northern Waters Literacy


What We Are

	Northern Waters Literacy's goal is to provide exceptional service to learners in our entire service area through excellent customer service and well trained volunteers. We serve a large geographic area within the state of Wisconsin including Polk and St. Croix Counties. Our organization was established in 1988 as the Polk County Area Literacy Council; a 501(c)3 community based organization. The organization was subsequently renamed Northern Waters Literacy in 2005 to reflect our expanded service area. Currently, two paid staff members provide support to the organization and two County Volunteer Coordinators manage the tutor/learner teams. Approximately, 65 volunteer tutors are affiliated with our organization. We are a United Way Agency. Financial Support comes from private, corporate and foundational donors. Contributions can be made online on the support page.

	Who We Serve

	We serve the roughly 15% of adults and families with various backgrounds (women, the poor, ethnic people, learning disabled, inmates, youth) in our rural area who cannot read a simple book, find an intersection on a map, remember 2 facts from a newspaper article, understand a medical prescription or fill out an employment application. Illiterate adults are generally locked into entry-level jobs (if they can find work at all). Without literacy skills, they are condemned to a life of poverty that is often passed on to their children. For this reason, we have begun to serve youth as well.

	Where We Serve

	We are located in Northwestern Wisconsin along the Wisconsin/ Minnesota borders. Direct services are provided in Polk, St. Croix and Pierce Counties. We also collaborate with Barron County Area Literacy Council and Burnett County Literacy Council. Information about services in all areas can be accessed through our main office, by e-mail, or toll-free phone number