New Jersey's Student of the Year: Blossom Johnson
August 19, 2003
Literacy Volunteers of Union County is proud to announce that the recipient of this year's Student of the Year award for New Jersey is Blossom Johnson of Westfield. In March Anita Heaton, Blossom's amazing tutor, nominated her for Literacy Volunteers of New Jersey's Basic Literacy student of the year. This award is such an honor for Blossom, Anita and our County. We thought everyone might like to read an excerpt from Blossom's speech which was elegantly delivered at the state conference by Anita Heaton.
To the staff of Literacy Volunteers, teachers and students:
First I want to thank God for the opportunity that I never had when I was a child. This is a program that provides me with the education that I need to be a better person. It's a program that prepares the way for the students of LV-UC to become better men and women of tomorrow.
I know in our hearts, we are the proudest men and women who now walk this earth, because of this program. As for me! I can't find words, I can't thank my tutor enough, I can't love her enough. I don't have money to pay her for her time that she has given to me. Through sun, through rain, through snow, through heat and sickness she would come to the library to teach me the things that I never knew. I hardly could read and write. I could not spell. I did not know what were noun, verb, present tense, past tense, punctuation, question sign, plural, singular and many, many more.
Please, I'm asking each and everyone of you who are listening to the words of the writing of her student to give her a clap. Thank you! I love you, Anita Heaton. I could not have done it without you.
~Blossom Johnson~
