My name is Curtis W. McNeal III.
I am 77 years old, retired, and an active participant in the programs at Literacy KC.
My story reflects the many opportunities, programs, and projects offered by Literacy KC.
My journey began with a dream of writing a book of quotes and sayings. For years, I collected and wrote content. Yet in my mind, I knew it wouldn’t happen because I couldn’t use a computer. I was afraid of the computer. All the time knowing I would have to learn. The more we talked about my book, the further away my dream would fade. To the point where I stopped talking about it. Instead, I took off on a misadventure of a clothing line. My lack of computer skills prevented the venture from succeeding. At the urging of my grandchildren, they told me to focus on my true passion. I had to confess my fears. Fortunately for me, one knew about Literacy KC’s Digital Literacy classes. When I enrolled, I was hesitant because of my age and perceived learning curve. I felt that I wasn’t a part of their target audience. It was the compounding of my fears that kept me from learning to use a computer.
When I first came to Literacy KC, I had little expectations of the class and even lower expectations of my ability to learn. I have no idea where my reality was going at the time. Little did I know, from that point on, my life’s vision would be changed. Since my arrival, my career and life have been given a new path and direction. What I’ve been given is much more than computer lessons. As my skills progressed, I gained the confidence to step out of my reality into foreign spaces with directions for achievement. Literacy KC gave me the space to challenge my reality and question my dreams. Literacy KC also had resources to remove obstacles preventing my learning achievements, such as the Kim Rogers Graves Can-Do Fund, which provided me with a new laptop. I have also taken advantage of their creative writing classes, where my poem “My Name Is” was published in their anthology “Vines of Truth.” Since then, I have written several more poems and short stories in hopes of completing my own book, “Granddaddy Said.” Now, I am currently enrolled in Metropolitan Community College at Maple Wood to pursue my dream of becoming a writer, thanks to the help and encouragement of their staff and instructors. I’m expected to finish my Associate Arts degree in the fall semester of 2024.
Is this a success story? Not by a long shot. This is the story of how I gained the confidence and strength to continue walking on my path to success. This is a story about the stepping stones for achievements provided by Literacy KC and that are available to the community. It is about the caring, encouraging, and knowledgeable staff of instructors and program coordinators that worked with me. People who listened to dreams and believed in the dreamer. Those who helped smooth the rough and tight curves along the road to success and prepared me for another level of life.
What has this done for me? What changed in my life?
It has awakened an awareness of self and self-worth from deep within. It has sparked a determination to live a life and a legacy of “Yes, I Can.”
A community commitment to tell my story.
Today, I’m pursuing dreams I never thought possible.
Curtis McNeal III, SMSgt
US Air Force Retired
