Read It and Cheer: Jose Cruz Recalls Plumber’s Battle to Beat Illiteracy

Jose Cruz recalls a man named Willy from 1985, who described himself as the “World’s Best Plumber.” But Willy had a major issue to unplug.

He couldn’t read.

Cruz—CEO of the San Diego Council on Literacy, a nonprofit devoted to supporting literacy through advocacy and free resources—says Willy was illiterate until he met a retired attorney.

After two and a half years of the lawyer helping him learn to read and write, Willy earned his plumbing license. He was someone Cruz will never forget.

When you hear stories of how literacy has changed a life, it just “makes sense” to give back, Cruz says.

Cruz has devoted more than 28 years of his life to helping individuals overcome illiteracy. And though the nonprofit industry can be rocky—seeing success stories fuels his drive.

 “I think when you hear stories from the students—when you hear what people gone through because they couldn’t read—it’s a scary thing,” he said. “It’s just short of a miracle because their lives change.

“You see how powerful the written word is and how debilitating it is when you can’t read and write—why would I go anywhere else?”

Cruz also serves on the board of directors of ProLiteracy, the largest literacy organization in the world.

Today the rewards may be even more grand because of the ample challenges SDCOL and Cruz have overcome.

The local Council on Literacy faces funding challenges but the recent recession made it even more difficult.

Cruz said SDCOL was forced to “make a lot of adjustments” and “cut a lot from the budget.” But with a little faith in the mission, the nonprofit with its two full-time employees pulled through.

“You just have to have faith in yourself and the people around you and your cause,” he said. “Here we are today, we’re heading in the right direction and we’re a lot more stable.”

Cruz found inspiration from people like Mahatma Gandhi and John Steinbeck, and has worked on everything from coordinating statewide campaigns to helping with a documentary for SDCOL that highlights why literacy is vital in today’s world.

It’s something that needs to be talked about, he said, since 20 percent of the U.S. adult population is functionally illiterate.

“It’s too many people,” he said. “Literacy is very relative to the demands of society, on the individual. We have to do more to help the tail-end—who want to do more in their lives. We all have dreams to be somebody.”

And though Cruz didn’t necessarily have a dream to be in the literacy field, he’s happy to help people like Willy see their dreams come true.

“I don’t know that many people that decided they were going into the field of literacy—it just happened and it happened to me,” he said.

“It really is just being excited about doing the work and making a difference in the lives of individuals. We’re all about solutions and solving problems.”

For more information about the San Diego County on Literacy or to become a volunteer, visit literacysandiego.org.

—By Hoa Quách