Ed Hall

The first thing Ed Hall will tell you is that he is blessed. Good health, a beautiful wife, happy grown children. He has lived a long and productive life. But for 72 years he lived in fear that someone would fi nd out he couldn't read. As a kid they said he was hard to teach, as an adult he developed ways to get by, becoming a master electrician and earning a good living, all the while watching those around him get promoted. I was afraid to take a promotion, what if they found out I couldn't read? Only eight months ago when he walked through the doors of the Literacy Services did he fi nd the answers he sought for so long: he wasn't hard to teach, he had dyslexia. Week by week the volunteers and staff of the Literacy Services worked with Ed, opening up worlds and words for him. I just finished reading my fi rst two books, he proudly boasts. The most important thing Ed has learned in his year and half of learning how to read, not to be ashamed. That's the most important thing. When you give to the United Way, you invest in keeping the doors open for 38 programs at our 30 partner agencies. Because of you, Ed had a place to turn when he was ready. See, its not hard, you can teach an old dog new tricks, he says with a smile, it really is never too late.