In 1995 I decided to give myself a birthday gift. My birthday gift was my VR6 GTI.
         1995 was the first year Volkswagen introduced the VR6 GTI to America. The older GTIs were four cylinders and didn’t have as much power as the VR6 engine.
         The VR6 only came in three colors: red, black and mulberry. Black is hard to take care of. Red is very flashy. So I decided to buy mulberry. The interior has heated seats so when you’re in the car, in a few minutes you’ll be warm. It also has a computer that tells you temperature outside and engine temperature and average speed. The computer tells you how long it took you to reach a destination and miles per gallon. The car is supposed to get 25 miles per gallon on the highway and 18 around the city.
          It also has heated outside mirrors so they’re never foggy. It has cruise control. You can set the cruise control at 70 miles per hour. And the car has a roll cage to protect you in case you roll it. And it has two air bags, passenger and driver. It has anti-lock brakes in case you’re on the freeway and you need to make a sudden stop, the brakes won’t lock up on you.
 It has a tape player, is CD-ready and has eight speakers. I listen to music all the time.
          I drove to Ohio in 1995. I also drove to Vancouver, British Columbia in 1998. I’ve gone to Los Angeles. And two or three months ago I drove to Reno.
         It’s a birthday gift I probably will always have. It’s the best birthday gift I ever had--except for life.

Dear Lynne,

     Hi, this is Wade Smith. I just wanted to drop you a note saying how grateful I am to you and your staff for making my dreams come true. When I started with Project Read five years ago, I never thought I would ever learn to read or write; but with all your encouragement, I’ve succeed in completing this goal. 
     A note for adult learners just learning how to read and write: never give up no matter what stands in your way. You must always believe in yourself and the important thing is to have patience with yourself because you’ll get there no matter how long it takes you. I’m proof that patience does pay off because I’m on a college level of reading now. I’ve completed two semesters at City College of San Francisco and last semester I made the Dean’s list with a 4.0 average.

Thanks again,
Wade Smith