For years, Margarette Pang struggled to turn the letters and numbers around to make sense.

She didn't seek special treatment for herself, but when she saw her daughter facing the same struggles, she decided to leap into action.

Like any mother, Pang explored every avenue in her quest to help her daughter overcome her dyslexia, a learning disability.

"I went to the Mainland and took a course on dyslexia," said Pang, 50, a mother of three. "I advocated for her at school."

It was her advocacy for her daughter and others that led her to create a haven called the Dyslexia Tutoring Center of Hawai'i in 2004. She continues to fund the Kapolei center with her own money whenever grants run out and is always turning over rocks in search of funding for her center.

Her efforts garnered her recognition as a Jefferson Award for Public Service recipient.

The three men and two women will be recognized as unsung heroes tomorrow at the Pacific Club. One of the five will be chosen to represent the state at a national ceremony in June.

"Education is so important to all of us, and we learn differently," said Pang, of Waipahu. "Unfortunately, society judges us for our weaknesses and that could make or break a child's self-esteem."

The more she learned about dyslexia, she realized there were many other students like her daughter, who needed real-world solutions. She soon became not only their advocate, but their guide, teaching them how to cope with their disability.

"My own children graduated with honors and they did it from a public school and it's because I advocated for them and had the principal working with me and she gave me a chance."

Whenever asked, Pang goes on the road to speak to other educators about the perils of dyslexia and how to help students overcome the learning disability.

"I did this from my heart," Pang said. "I was floored. I am so humbled by this. I'm speechless."