First organized in 1982 and chartered as a non-profit corporation in 1985, the Tennessee Literacy Coalition has been serving both public and private literacy agencies for 27 years. We focus on training and recruiting volunteers, raising public awareness of the state’s adult literacy needs, and on bringing together the public and private adult literacy provider agencies who share a client group. In 1986, thanks to a substantial Gannett Foundation Literacy Challenge grant, we opened an office, hired our first staff member, and established the Information Clearinghouse to provide volunteer and learner referrals for member provider agencies. In 1987, the Coalition was invited to submit a proposal to coordinate the placement of full-time VISTA volunteers in literacy programs across the state. Since that time, we have placed more than 200 VISTA members, each of which serve full time for a full year or more to help a literacy provider agency increase capacity to serve learners, and to sustain that growth. Over the years, we have organized volunteer conferences, student roundtables for adult learners, adult education theatre outreach, and the production of a southern literacy curriculum for adult learners. Today we also hold regular Regional Networking Forums, providing an opportunity for staff and volunteers from provider agencies to meet together over lunch to share resources and best practices.