Donations Drive Literacy. Literacy Builds Success.
Renee Cadet
Studied English at DePorres P.L.A.C.E. for two years and then became one of our Next Step interns via a program funded by a grant from the Jewish Women’s Foundation.
Renee worked in our offices while developing her resume and Linked In account, learning to use MS Office programs and documenting her experience for use in her job search.
Renee also passed the entrance exam for college while interning and registered for her first class at Palm Beach State College.
Renee is the mother of two young sons and her bond with Sister Anne Monahan is a beautiful testament to the power of tutoring.
David Burney
A West Palm Beach native, struggled in school and was never given the support he needed to learn to read. After a long career as a groundskeeper for the City and raising a family, David came to DePorres P.L.A.C.E. in 2018, determined to improve his literacy and earn his GED.
With the support of his tutor, Clare Wilson, David made remarkable progress. By 2020, he was writing essays and building confidence. In 2023, his acrostic poem “What Do You See?” was selected for publication in the Florida Literacy Coalition’s essay book and he proudly read it at the statewide conference.
We are incredibly proud of David and excited for what lies ahead on his GED journey.
Luckner Rouzard left school as a very young boy in Haiti in order to work and help support his family. When his siblings became adults, he came to the U.S. and opened a small shop in the Northwood neighborhood of West Palm Beach despite the fact that he couldn't yet read and write.
He came to DePorres P.L.A.C.E. in 2015 and was matched with tutor, Philip Verruto, who is a retired corporate executive. They began working together and before long Luckner could write his name, read short passages and decipher new words.
In five years, Luckner uses a laptop computer regularly in his business and reads the news online regularly. The bond that has grown between Luckner and his tutor remains strong and Luckner became a citizen of the United States in 2020.
We are so proud of Luckner's accomplishments and so grateful to Philip for his devotion to helping Luckner meet his goals.
Questions? Contact Us!