Tri-State Literacy Council Story

The Tri-State Literacy Council provides an education haven for adults.

The National Center for Educational Statistics says about 13 percent of adults in West Virginia lack basic prose literacy skills. Not only does illiteracy make it difficult for these people to find a job, but it also can be hard to function in everyday life.

The Tri-State Literacy Council provides a refuge for adults who want to learn or re-learn reading, writing and arithmetic.

Lynn Ormiston, program director of the council, said that adult students ranging in skill level will seek help for a variety of reasons.

“We have one student who’s been here for maybe six years, and he likes to write,” Ormiston said. “One of the things he has written relates how it was for him to now be able to walk the street and read the store signs.

“I think the best part of what he said had to do with how he can put down on paper his own feelings.”

Ormiston said she once had a student who came for tutoring because he wanted to get his motorcycle license, and he achieved his goal. She said there are also students who come because they want to advance in their career or they want to find a job.

The council uses volunteer tutors to teach the students. Ormiston said the volunteers undergo 12 hours of training before they begin meeting with the students. The volunteers can either meet once a week one – on – one or in a small group setting, which is more flexible for volunteers. She said students are tutored anywhere from one to six years, depending on their skill level and goals. The average number of students tutored at any given time is 35, she said.

Ormiston said that any organization is welcome to partner or ask for help with the Tri-State Literacy Council. A project with the Huntington Housing Authority, which is still in the planning stages, is set to help those being serviced by Huntington Housing with reading needs, she said.

The Tri-State Literacy Council is a funded partner of United Way of the River Cities. Other funding comes from fundraising efforts in the community. It also partnered with Mountain State Center for Independent Living in the annual “Walk for Independence” in 2009. For its 30 year anniversary in March the council wants to add a new kind of fundraising event.
“We are talking about a scrabble tournament, hopefully by next September,” she said.

She said the money earned by fundraising efforts is used to pay for materials as well as full and part-time office staff. All materials used by the tutors and students are offered free of charge.

She said the ways the council raises awareness in the community is by doing presentations, fairs and non-profit events.

“We try to put things in the newspaper on an ongoing basis,” Ormiston said. “September is literacy month, and I usually do a column for the paper. I do appeal to people to understand about the need for literacy tutoring, and also to appreciate that they are readers.”

Marshall students can get involved by becoming a tutor or by helping out with special events. She said Marshall students can help even by providing entertainment at the annual dinner they host to honor their students’ accomplishments.

“You can either be a traditional tutor where you are trained and meet once a week with a student or you can join team tutoring,” she said. “You can do a special event with us. We have an annual dinner and we need some help planning that.”

The council currently serves four counties – Cabell, Wayne, Lawrence and Boyd.

“Eventually I would like to increase our reach,” Ormiston said. “We do have students in Wayne County and we have some in Chesapeake, but we certainly aren’t meeting what probably is the need.”