Today we’d like to introduce you to Meredith Gvozdas.
Hi Meredith, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Literacy SC was established in 1968 as Greater Columbia Literacy Council to provide reading tutoring services for adults who read below a 9th grade reading level. GCLC rebranded recently to Literacy SC to include Richland, Lexington, Aiken, Bamberg, Barnwell, and Edgefield counties. Literacy SC pairs incoming learners with volunteer tutors to meet at a local library branch and provides all curriculum, workbooks, supplies, and books at no cost to the learner.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
We are a small nonprofit so funding is always at the forefront of our minds so that we can maintain as a free service to the community. We are fortunate to have a hardworking staff and a dedicated volunteer tutor pool. However, we offer multiple ways to become involved as a donor or as a volunteer.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
We are known throughout the area for our Turning Pages private tutoring program. Not being able to read or read well is a silent struggle – our learners are some of the bravest, most committed individuals. It’s an honor to walk through this reaching their reading goals with them. Many of our learners want to improve their reading skills for job related tasks, to read a religious text, to read their mail independently, or to read a book to a child or grandchild. I am most proud of the bravery and tenacity of our learners – they bring so much life experience into the room and work diligently with their tutors to achieve their goals. What a privilege to have a front row seat to dreams achieved and goals attained.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
About 22% of South Carolinians struggle with reading – the need is great and we hope to expand to serve more learners in our private tutoring program, Turning Pages. We also hope to expand group classes through Reading Labs in local library branches. Additionally, we have a workforce readiness class called Road to Work which we hope to bring to groups including but not limited to centers for the unhoused and various detention centers in the area.
Pricing:
- $50 donation sponsors a reading kit for one month
- $10 sponsors reading supplies for one learner
- $2500 sponsors a curriculum order for a new semester
- $500 sponsors a new tutor workshop to equip new reading tutors
Contact Info:
- Website: www.https://literacySC.org
- Instagram: turningpagessc
- Facebook: Literacy SC
