Raising money to help others become more literate isn’t easy
– it takes dedication and a whole lot of volunteers to pull it
off, which the Adult Literacy Program of San Benito County managed
to do last Saturday for its first Run for Literacy event.
Raising money to help others become more literate isn’t easy – it takes dedication and a whole lot of volunteers to pull it off, which the Adult Literacy Program of San Benito County managed to do last Saturday for its first Run for Literacy event.
“I’m excited how it turned out and can’t wait for the second annual run,” said Barbara Scott, executive director of the Adult Literacy Program (ALP). “We collected over $4,000, which I was told wasn’t bad for a first-time event.”
But $4,000 is hardly enough funding to keep the program going strong, Scott said. The ALP is planning another fundraiser sometime in February.
“We need to raise a lot more money,” she said.
As a daily information provider for the community, the Hollister Free Lance is enthused to have the opportunity to help promote literacy in San Benito County, said Bill Barry, publisher of the Free Lance.
“Individuals, given the opportunity to become literate, can also become knowledgeable and well-informed citizens of our community,” he said.
While the county’s earliest ALP started in 1984 and operated on a much smaller scale, the current program was launched when San Juan Bautista Library’s head librarian Pat Larkin was awarded a three-year grant of $64,000. The grant is set up where funds are reduced each year and, by 2005, the money stops.
“Last year, we had a 25-percent reduction in the grant money and, next year, it will be 50 percent,” Scott said. “After that, we are hoping to be eligible for matching funds by the state.”
According to statistics for San Benito County, 28 percent of the population cannot read while Santa Clara County has a 19 percent illiteracy rate. Comparing the population size of each county, Scott said SBC has a particular need to reduce that rate.
“We need to move it down to 8 percent by 2010. I know that’s an ambitious goal, but we are going for it,” she said.
The program runs out of three locations – the SJB Library, the SBC Free Library and the YMCA. The program, for residents 18 years and older, provides one-on-one training in reading, speaking, writing and math.
“We are thrilled over the support we have received from the Friends of the Library. Many of our tutors and learners meet there,” Scott said.
Barry said Scott and Larkin deserve a lot of credit for making the program work.
“I want to thank them for their dedication – the time and effort to make this program happen,” he said.
