Without Literacy, There is no Equity — Nora Crouch
Nora Crouch is a former Fortune 500 Chief Accounting Officer, has served on boards and audit committees, and is a qualified financial expert. Nora combines her broad financial expertise with her strong strategic oversight capability. She has successfully served on private company boards and has held leadership positions on a number of non-profit boards.
Nora shares her experience at the READ Center — where she served as a member of the board of directors, and board president for two years. Nora has a personal attachment to the mission of the READ center as well, an organization that aims to help adults improve their lives through literacy.
Watch what Nora has to say in this video, or read an excerpt below.
“My initial involvement at the READ center happened by accident. I was approached by a co-worker because of my background in finance. At the time I got involved, the organization was struggling a bit financially and was going through a leadership change. The new board president was seeking someone to come in and take a hard look at the financial records of the organization and that’s where I stepped in. However, the more that I got to know about the organization and the more that I learnt about the very important mission of adult literacy, the more my passion for this wonderful cause has grown.
“Most people are surprised to learn that there are over 73,000 adults in the greater Richmond area with low or no literacy skills. To give perspective, that’s more than four times the number of people that it would take to fill Madison Square Gardens. These adults are often living in poverty and lack access to safe housing, health care and to food security.
“At the READ center we provide our students with more than just an education. We provide a safe environment where they can pursue their individual goals and develop their skills and talents in a number of areas. It may be art or music, mechanics, digital — whatever their hearts desire. In my over eight years as a member of the board of directors, including a two-year stint as board president, I had the opportunity to work with and be inspired by a number of our students. I also had the opportunity to learn that without literacy, there is no equity.”
