About Elroy Literacy Center

Elroy Literacy Center was founded by Jessica Ziel, M.S.E., doctoral candidate in Reading Science; Paul Ziel, J.D.; and Dan Miller, an accountant.

Together, the founders bring backgrounds in literacy, education, law, and financial stewardship to a shared mission: expanding opportunities for people to become successful readers.

The Center's name and the story behind its founding begin with Jessica's uncle, Elroy Erickson.

Why Elroy?

Elroy Literacy Center is named for Jessica's uncle, Elroy Erickson, who never learned to read and could write only his signature.

When Jessica was five years old, she made her uncle Elroy a Christmas present using the back of a cardboard box. She drew a train in crayon and wrote one word on each car:

“I Will Teach You to Read.”

At five, Jessica didn’t fully understand what it meant to be unable to read. She only knew that reading was something she was beginning to learn and something she wanted to share with her uncle.

She doesn’t know if anyone ever told Elroy what the words on the cardboard train said and she never got to fulfill that promise.

Years later, that childhood promise took on a much deeper meaning for others.

Elroy Literacy Center bears his name as a reminder that the opportunity to become a reader matters at every age and every stage of life.

What began as a five-year-old’s promise now reflects the belief at the heart of Elroy Literacy Center: everyone deserves the opportunity to become a successful reader.