OSU students are teaming up with the Stillwater Literacy Council to help adults 18 and older who cannot read.
According to the Oklahoma Literacy Resource Office, “40 to 44 million adults in the U.S. read at or below a level one literacy level.”
The report states that 18 percent of Oklahomans read at or near this level.
Christina Whinery, a public relations senior, said her group is out to make adult literacy an issue and, they hope, a thing of the past.
“It’s sad to hear when an adult can’t even read a bed-time story,” she said.
Whinery said their volunteer efforts are focused not only on Stillwater but also the entire Payne County area.
“We’ve spread awareness to Perkins and other cities around Stillwater to widen our campaign,” she said.
Tyler Palmateer, a public relations senior and physical therapy graduate student, said the group plans to put on a book drive to raise material for the council.
“We are placing boxes in churches and grocery stores in hopes of raising enough books to help the cause,” he said.
Palmateer said they are also creating a Web site for the organization to spread awareness of the campaign.
“Putting the council on the Internet is one of many things we are doing to help promote and raise volunteers for the organization,” he said.
Linda Crutcher, Stillwater Literacy Council coordinator, said the council was established in 1979 and has helped many adults with reading and writing, along with learning English as a second language.
“We’ve made some great head way in the past but having student support like this has made it even better,” she said.
Whinery said the group has also helped to redesign the image and logo of the literacy council to make it a top volunteer spot.
“The Literacy Council’s volunteer rate is exceptionally comparable to that of Habitat for Humanity and the Humane Society’s,” she said.
Crutcher said that volunteers pair up with adults in the reading program. The adults can work one on one with the volunteers free of charge.
Crutcher said the reading program can help the adults in many ways.
“One of the many benefits adults can receive from their tutoring is that they can have the possibility of a promotion in a job or finally obtaining a driver’s license,” she said.
Palmateer said he has great faith in the awareness campaign and expects nothing but great results.
“The promotion for the campaign is amazing but working for the cause is even better,” he said.
“Hopefully one day we’ll be able to wipe this problem from the face of the earth.”
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