Association honors tutors

The Cherokee County Literacy Association honored its tutors Thursday, Jan. 10, with an awards dinner at the community college.

Receiving certificates of appreciation were Melvin Hampton, Bobby Powell, Lori Batchler, Ruby Shook, Rebecca Poole, and Beverly Champagne.

All of the tutors are volunteers who teach local adults how to read during one-onone private sessions. The Association's mission is to teach illiterate adults to read. In Cherokee County, about 23 percent of the adults are functionally illiterate, which is often described as a person who would have difficulty finding an intersection on a road map.

Leading the occasion was the Association's Executive Director Rev. Dewitt Clyde and President Mary Phillips. After dinner, provided by Fatz of Gaffney, the tutors received certificates of appreciation.

"The tutors are the true connection to what we do," Rev. Clyde said. "It is that special tutor/student relationship that can make a difference in the lives of people. Anyone who takes the time to teach a fellow human being to read is someone special. They have the compassion and desire to make the world a better place by helping someone else lead a better life."

The Association is always looking for more tutors and more students. To volunteer or to refer someone to its services, please call 487-2707.