Hurricane Wal-Mart Manager Lloyd Atkinson presents a check for $5,000 to the Putnam Literacy Board. Pictured left to richt are Program Director Peggy Melton, Atkinson, Walker Thompson, Jeff Blatt, Dr. Nye Clinton, Esther Clinton, and Jan Hargate.

March 5, 2008

Today at the VIP Open House of the Wal-Mart Supercenter in Hurricane, Manager Lloyd Atkinson presented Putnam Literacy Volunteers with a grant for $5,000.

"We are glad to be a part of your community," said Atkinson, "and we want to show it."

The Putnam group offers free learning assistance to anyone wishing to improve their basic skills in reading, writing or math. Trained tutors use different strategies, from phonics-based instruction to whole-language learning in context.

Program costs for each student are about $250 per year.

Director Peggy Melton said that the generous support by Wal-Mart would enable the group to extend a helping hand to many of the people in the local area who are unable to read above the fifth-grade level.

"A recent client told me he would be able to double his salary immediately if he could learn to read better," said Melton.

She noted that there was a problem with public awareness of the program. "People just don't know that help is available," she said. "The Wal-Mart gift will help us to reach out to them through local churches, food pantries and service agencies."

English is not the native language of many of the newcomers in the area, and the literacy group helps with cultural adjustments and improvement of conversational skills.

The Literacy Volunteers group is presently acquiring several "talking dictionaries" for assistance with translation.