More volunteer tutors needed to change lives: locally, literally

This literacy program usually works with English speakers who can't read, but now are also working with immigrants who want to learn English. They work one on one, and always need more volunteers. DP

Read for Literacy witnesses recent surge in enrollment

By JC REINDL, BLADE STAFF WRITER

When you can't read, it helps to have a good memory.

That was how Henry Hartford of East Toledo said he managed being illiterate for most of his 51 years.

Unable to decipher addresses or street signs, Mr. Hartford had to memorize landmarks or buildings when navigating around. He also learned to recognize the shapes of common words and phrases like "door" or "miles per hour" without ever comprehending the jumbled letters.

But eventually for Mr. Hartford, now a student in the Read for Literacy program in Toledo, memorizing shapes and carrying "cheat sheets" of words to work was no way to live life.

He enrolled in the adult literacy program nearly two years ago, and with one-on-one, twice-weekly tutoring from Bob Niedzielski, 72, a retired University of Toledo chemistry professor, Mr. Hartford is making steady progress toward his goal: obtaining a General Educational Development (GED) diploma, a high school equivalency degree which typically requires a 10th-grade reading ability.

With a waiting list that recently jumped to 46 people, the Read for Literacy program has an immediate need for 50 volunteers to tutor adult students.

There's a particular need for volunteers who know some Spanish, as a growing number of the program's English as a Second Language students speak hardly any English, Executive Director Jim Funk said.

Because many of these ESL students are parents, teaching them how to speak and read English gives their children a head start. "If we have people in our community who can't read, it is in the community's interest to help them become better providers and better parents," Mr. Funk said.

Begun in 1986, the program enrolls about 1,300 participants, nearly all from Lucas County. The twice-a-week 90-minute tutoring sessions are free, but students are asked to buy their own course materials. "The logic is that if people make a [financial] commitment to it, that will help them be and remain committed," said Mr. Funk, adding that hardship assistance is available.
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