FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jan. 10, 2006

CONTACT: Anne Murr, (515) 271-3982, anne.murr@drake.edu

DRAKE ADULT LITERACY CENTER SEEKS VOLUNTEERS TO CHANGE LIVES

No less an American writer and reader than Henry David Thoreau once said, “To read well … is a noble exercise, and one that will task the reader more than any exercise which the customs of the day esteem. It requires a training such as the athletes underwent, the steady intention almost of the whole life to this object.”

The Drake University Adult Literacy Center needs volunteers to help with just the kind of training of which Thoreau spoke.

Volunteers meet with adults twice a week to provide one-on-one tutoring, using an interactive, structured, multi-sensory approach. With their help, adult Iowans are motivated to make positive changes in their lives by improving their reading skills.

Volunteers are badly needed. Nearly two out of every five Iowans read at the lowest literacy levels and frequently live in poverty, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

According to a recent study by the National Center for Adult Literacy, “11 million U.S. adults – about one in 20 – have such poor English skills that they can’t read a newspaper, understand the directions on a bottle of pills or, in many cases, and carry on a basic conversation,” USA Today reported.

While the report said recent immigrants account for the majority of that group, “the survey suggests that even the average adult has low skills,” the newspaper said.

Two one-hour overview sessions are offered for persons who want to learn more about volunteering as a literacy tutor. Potential volunteers may choose one of these Overview sessions, which are prerequisites for the orientation.
Sessions are set for:

Tuesday, Jan. 17, 5:30 - 6:30 p.m. or Thursday, Jan. 19, 2:30 - 3:30 p.m.

Required orientation training sessions are set for 5 to 8 p.m., Monday and Tuesday, Jan. 23 and 24. Volunteers are required to attend both sessions.

All sessions will be at the Adult Literacy Center, 1213 25th St., immediately north of the Varsity Theater.

Help someone experience the joy of finally being about to read a book, a menu and street signs. Open the world of written word – dramatic fiction, thrilling biography and history and unlock imagination for an adult today. To volunteer to tutor at the Drake Adult Literacy Center to call (515) 271-3982.

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