Today we’d like to introduce you to Kathryn Thompson.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I was raised in a large family of seven children. My parents worked hard and although we did not have a lot in the way of luxury, we always had the necessities. I learned from my parents that everyone can do something for someone else, even those who are not wealthy. My parents always opened our home for others during the holidays and our house was the “go to” place for my friends. I watched my parents give financially and with their time to make our community and our schools better. It was only natural, then, when I became an adult that I gravitated toward community service. My mother helped me raise money and recruit volunteers for my first job out of college, working for a nonprofit nursing home. I was fortunate to go on to work for several influential women, including the CEO of our local United Way, who mentored me and taught me how to become a nonprofit manager and professional fundraiser. I later had the opportunity to help start a Children’s Advocacy Center which became a multi-county center in North Texas and impacted the lives of thousands of young children over a 7 year period. I served on the state board of Children’s Advocacy Centers of Texas and helped raise funds for that organization that supported CAC’s throughout the state.
When I moved to the DFW area, I joined the Rotary Club of Fort Worth to meet community leaders and get involved in service. There, I met many of the city’s key leaders and through my contacts there, was involved in the work to start the Tarrant Literacy Coalition. I became the founding executive director of the Coalition in 2009.
Has it been a smooth road?
Spending more than 30 years in nonprofit management, volunteer development and fundraising has been a joy in so many ways. Doing the work I love, fulfilling a passion and working with wonderful people on volunteer boards of directors, as well as meeting men, women and children who are struggling to find a better life – and getting to help them find the help they need – has been more than I ever could have asked for. However, this is not easy work. The hours are long – many times VERY long, and the work is difficult. I have spent most of my career working in relatively small nonprofit organizations. That is where my heart is. That means that I have often been more than just the director – I have sometimes been the fundraiser, the volunteer coordinator, the social worker, the receptionist and the janitor – all at the same time! I have also seen a great deal of heartache. When I was the director of the Children’s Advocacy Center, I also chaired a 4-county Child Fatality Review Team. That team reviewed the death of every child in a four county area that was the result of anything other than illness. We reviewed accidents, homicides, suicides and deaths of undetermined causes. Our mission was to try to identify trends and develop protocols to prevent unnecessary tragedy. As a mother, this was often unbearably hard. We met with parents and grandparents and medical personnel. It was not anything I had trained for, but it was important work.
I’ve also weathered numerous economic ups and downs, trying to raise funds and stabilize budgets in order to maintain critical services to children and families while honoring the wishes of donors. During the lean times, I’ve learned how to make a dollar stretch. During the more bountiful times, I’ve learned to spend frugally and save for the next down time, but also to help as many as can be helped and to teach them how to help themselves so that they will be prepared for the lean times yet to come.
Whenever you have a “people job” you will always have struggles. And working in the nonprofit arena is always a “people job”. But it is the only thing I would ever want to do.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Tarrant Literacy Coalition – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
The Tarrant Literacy Coalition works hard to empower adults through education. By providing adults with the tools they need to improve their literacy skills, prepare for the high school equivalency exam, and learn to read, write and speak English, we help families thrive. We help businesses build a strong workforce. We are known as a small organization doing BIG things. With a very small staff of just three full-time and two part-time employees, we expect to serve more than 3,000 adults this year through our high school equivalency and English language classes and our Adult Education and Literacy Help Line and we plan to provide more than 2,000 hours of professional development for literacy teachers, tutors and volunteers. We are also strong advocates for better services for adult learners in Texas.
When the GED exam changed to a computer-based exam in 2014, after being purchased by Pearson Education and being placed under the GED Testing Service Division, the pass rate for adult learners in Texas and the USA fell by about 90%. This was due to a number of changes implemented in the exam. The Tarrant Literacy Coalition advocated for improvements in the test to help adult learners obtain this important credential which opens doors to Community College and better jobs.
When those improvements were not forthcoming, the Tarrant Literacy Coalition (TLC) staff researched options in other states and learned that 21 states in the USA offered options other than the GED exam. Contacting the Texas State Board of Education, the Tarrant Literacy Coalition asked for a public hearing on the issue. A statewide hearing was held in Austin, and 90% of those who testified were students, staff, volunteers or partners with TLC from the DFW Metroplex. At the close of the hearing, the State Board of Education voted to open bids for alternative tests in Texas. Today, students in Texas have options other than the GED exam to receive the Texas Certificate of High School Equivalency. One option, the Educational Testing Service’s HiSET exam, is available in paper-based and computer based formats and is 14% less expensive than the GED exam.
In 2016, the Tarrant Literacy Coalition was awarded a grant from a philanthropic endeavor at Texas Christian University to convert its own high school equivalency classes to begin preparing students for the HiSET exam and to provide workshops and seminars to teach other literacy providers in the DFW area how to prepare their students for the HiSET exam.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
The DFW Metroplex really has all anyone needs. With wonderful restaurants and fabulous entertainment venues, there is something for everyone. I love to eat and cook great food, and there are many great places to dine out and some great markets to buy fresh food for cooking. As a vegetarian, I love to buy fresh herbs, fresh veggies and everything I need to make great salads and pastas…when I want to cook. I also love the opera and the symphony and the Arboretum and the Botanic Gardens. I am not much of a shopper, although I do know there are plenty of places to shop in Fort Worth, Dallas and all points in between.
The only thing I really don’t like is traffic. Traffic that isn’t moving.
Pricing:
- All of our services are offered to students at no cost
- The workshops we offer to teachers, tutors and volunteers are free or very low cost.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.tarrantliteracycoalition.org
- Phone: 817-402-7555
- Email: kthompson@tarrantlit.org
- Facebook: TarrantLiteracy
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/TarrantLit
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
