Sioux-Hudson Literacy Council (SHLC) and Good Learning Anywhere (GLA) are proud to announce that the co-recipient of the 2021 Lois Gray Award for Achievement is Shannon Pollard.

The Lois Gray Award for Achievement is awarded to the learner who has reached or has made significant progress towards reaching their goal, whether it is employment, further training, or education. This award also recognizes the obstacles and challenges adult learners must overcome in their journey.

Shannon began taking classes with Good Learning Anywhere back in November 2019. She has also been taking classes in the Adult Literacy Program at the Hamilton Literacy Council, at the same time. Shanon is an inspiration to us all. She is so determined to achieve her goals and she never gives up. Shannon has a great perspective on what it takes to achieve the results she is looking for.

Shannon was supported by Robyn Larabee from GLA and Carol Risidore at Hamilton Literacy Council.  Shannon was nominated for this award by Carol and here is what she had to say in her nomination:

Shannon and I have been working together for approximately 1 year. Although my role with Hamilton Literacy Council is as an Assessor & program Developer, I began supporting her in her online learning program with GLA. She was struggling due to health issues and the small groups did not work for her. What drew me to working with her, was her commitment to achieving her goal no matter what obstacles she had to overcome, and there are many. We worked together at the office but due to Covid moved to phone calls. Her progress and dedication to learning how to “do it right” are amazing. She strives to obtain 100% all the time. I feel her strength to continue to succeed in achieving her goal, a high school diploma, and her perseverance despite her challenges inspires others to never give up. It is that determination which I believe embodies the Lois Gray Award for Achievement Award. It is not about how many lessons/modules can be done but her perseverance and commitment to achieving her goals and overcoming obstacles through sheer determination regardless of how much time it takes.
We want to congratulate Shannon for all her efforts and remind everyone that we can all achieve our goals with a plan and commitment to do our best. We also want to thank Carol and Robyn for their support, belief, and positivity that have helped Shannon achieve her goals. We wish Shannon all the best and look forward to hearing about all her future accomplishments.