State Farm's Herman Dixon (left) presents a grant for literacy to Rick Slater Jackie Chaney (right), member of the Putnam Literacy Board, accepts frant for literacy from Slater.

Rotary supports literacy with special grant

June 6, 2006

Putnam Rotary

Putnam Rotary once again boosted its support of adult education in the community with a special grant to Literacy Volunteers, a non-profit tutorial program for assistance with basic reading, writing and math skills.

The money was raised by "Happy Dollars," a tradition of weekly good-news announcements at luncheon meetings -- with a dollar fee for each report.

Putnam Literacy Volunteers has always been an organization of high priority for club support and encouragement, however. Recent support includes dictionaries for students, office computers and cash assistance. So it was only natural that the current gift would be multiplied.

In January, Rotarian Herman L. Dixon had pledged to match the "Happy Dollars" at a full-plus-half-again level with a second grant from State Farm Insurance. Dixon, a Rotary Paul Harris Fellow, is Regional Field Representative for State Farm.

Operating at the Putnam Career & Technical Center with an office in the Putnam main library, the Literacy Volunteers number about 45 tutors who serve without compensation to offer one-on-one instruction on request to adults who are unable to read above the fifth-grade level.

Many of the literacy clients in recent years are new residents in the area for whom English is not their native language.