Item of interest
Adult Learning Alliance director addresses Rotary
Literacy, or more precisely illiteracy, was the subject of a recent program at the Rotary Club of North Garland County/Scenic 7.
The speaker, Nancy Leonhardt, is executive director of the Adult Learning Alliance of Arkansas, a nonprofit umbrella organization that supports local literacy councils serving over 50 counties throughout the state, a Rotary news release said.
Slightly less than 14% of adults in Arkansas cannot read above the fifth-grade level, Leonhardt reported. That is approximately equal to the national average. In Garland County the rate is 11%, the release said.
Leonhardt highlighted stories of several Arkansans who, despite being unable to read, had been able to hide that fact and been successful in their business and community life. They nonetheless chose to reach out to Literacy Council tutors late in life and eventually become literate.
“More commonly the lack of reading ability is a severe hindrance to an adult’s earning capacity and often to their self-esteem,” the release said.
Leonhardt is a member of the Rotary Club of West Little Rock and a past governor of District 6150. She said she urges anyone interested in volunteering to contact their local literacy council and take the training to become a tutor.
“It is a rewarding experience and there is always a need for tutors of adults in basic reading as well as ESL (English as a Second Language),” the release said.
Rotary Club of North Garland County/Scenic 7 meets Thursdays at Charlie’s Pizza Pub. Call Amanda Kennedy at 501-922-0227 for more information.