Imagine struggling to read a note sent home by your child’s teacher. Imagine trying to understand instructions on a medical form, fill out a job application or follow written directions at work.
For many adults in Manatee County, those everyday tasks present a significant challenge.
Manatee Literacy Council reports that about one in five adults in the county cannot read above a fifth-grade level. The organization provides free, confidential literacy and English-language instruction, but the need for help is outpacing the number of available volunteer tutors.
Currently, more than 100 adults are waiting for the opportunity to work with a tutor, according to information provided by the council.
The people seeking help are adults who are working, raising children and participating in the community. Their reasons for improving their literacy or English skills vary. Some want to communicate more effectively at work, while others hope to help their children with schoolwork, better understand healthcare information, continue their education or simply become more independent in their daily lives.
For nearly five decades, Manatee Literacy Council has worked to address those challenges. The nonprofit traces its history to 1978 and describes its mission as empowering Manatee County residents toward independence through literacy. Its programs include adult literacy and English-language instruction, one-on-one tutoring, group learning, workplace literacy and other educational opportunities.
The organization has continued to expand the ways adults can learn. In addition to individual tutoring, Manatee Literacy Council offers in-person and virtual English classes, conversation groups, digital learning opportunities and workforce-focused programs. Its in-person English classes alone have served more than 100 adult learners per quarter.
But one-on-one instruction depends heavily on volunteers.
Volunteer tutors do more than help someone recognize words, improve grammar or practice English. They provide the consistency, patience and encouragement that can help an adult become comfortable using new skills in situations that affect employment, parenting, healthcare and everyday life.
A handwritten reflection recently provided by one adult learner illustrates that progress. The learner described the program as helpful for people beginning to read and wrote about learning that making mistakes is part of the process.
The learner also wrote that she plans to tell others who need help about the program and described it as helping and building up people who need support.
Becoming a tutor does not require being a professional teacher. Manatee Literacy Council provides volunteers with training, materials, curriculum and ongoing support. What the organization needs are community members willing to commit a few hours each week to helping another adult learn.
That commitment can have effects well beyond a tutoring session. Improved literacy can help an adult communicate with an employer, read to a child, pursue a better job, understand important documents and navigate daily responsibilities with greater independence.
Manatee Literacy Council’s vision is straightforward: a community in which every Manatee County adult is literate. After serving the area since 1978, the organization continues to rely on trained volunteers as a central part of accomplishing that goal.
With more than 100 learners waiting, the need is immediate — and each new volunteer can allow another adult to begin.
Residents interested in becoming a tutor, volunteering in another capacity or learning more about Manatee Literacy Council can visit Manatee Literacy Council. The organization is located at 3501 Cortez Road West, Suite 6, in Bradenton and can be reached at 941-746-8197.
