Former first lady promotes literacy to Ind. crowd

WINONA LAKE, Ind. — Former first lady Laura Bush promoted the importance of literacy and a college education during a trip to northern Indiana.

Bush drew applause from a crowd of 2,500 people at Grace College in Winona Lake when she said she believed every child should learn to read and called literacy “an essential foundation for democracy.”

The wife of former president George W. Bush is a former librarian and teacher. She now is an honorary ambassador for the United Nations Literacy Decade.

The Journal-Gazette reports that Bush also spoke Thursday at the dedication of Ivy Tech Community College’s new campus in Warsaw. She says community colleges are crucial education centers for those trying to improve their lives.