FAIRHOPE, Ala. — The Eastern Shore Literacy Council (ESLC), a United Way agency, will host its second annual Rollin’ on the River for Literacy fundraiser on April 18, at 6:30 p.m., at 5 Rivers Delta Resource Center on the Causeway in Spanish Fort. Attendees will enjoy heavy hors d’oeurves, wine and beer, as well as live entertainment. There will also be a a number of live and silent auction items to bid on and prizes to be given away.

Tickets are $25 per person, and may be purchased in advance by calling ESLC at (251) 990-8300; or by stopping by Riviera Utilities at 700 Whispering Pines Road in Daphne.

“Rollin’ on the River is a major fundraiser for the organization,” said deLancey Erickson, ESLC executive director. “We’re a nonprofit organization that relies on the United Way, grants and private contributions.”

According to an ESLC press release, the group’s mission is “helping adults function more effectively in society by improving their educational skills and has always provided, at no charge, material and trained volunteer tutors to help adults and older teens meet this standard and to assist them with preparing for their GED.”

Erickson noted that around 20 percent of the adult population living on the Eastern Shore are functionally illiterate. She said, “They can read a stop sign, but not a medicine bottle.”

Many actually keep their problem hidden for years, if not their entire lifetime. Erickson said. Many manage to find ways to adapt.

“There’s a lack of being independent,” she said. Erickson recently got a sense of that while browsing in a video store with her husband. She had forgotten her eyeglasses, and had to depend on him to read to her the DVD cases.

There is currently a woman of 60 in ESLC’s program, who is learning to read so she can receive the messages found in the Holy Bible. A man is being tutored because he needs help to pass a course required in his profession.

There is no shame in not knowing how to read, and there is no need to hesitate learning how to do so. Erickson said, “People come from all ages and walks of life because there were things that kept them from learning. Everything is confidential. It’s a delicate subject to ask to come in for reading help. Coming to us is a big step.”

It is reported that 50 percent of adult Alabamians who receive welfare do not have a high school diploma or GED, and that more than 65 percent of welfare recipients who earn a high school diploma or GED leave welfare and become self-sufficient within two years.

It is with that in mind that ESLC also offers tutoring that will enable men and women to earn their GED. Tutors meet students at the Daphne Public Library and at Faulkner State Community College in Fairhope. Erickson said assessments are made in order to determine if an individual is ready to test for a GED, and if not the group determines in which academic subjects they are deficient.

ESLC also offers coursework in English for immigrants.

“We teach English as a second language one-on-one, but I’m thinking we need to shift to a group setting. It would make the students more comfortable,” Erickson said.

The organization also recently reinstated its high school exit exam preparation tutoring, offering Fairhope High School juniors and seniors an opportunity during school hours to receive extra instruction related to subjects in which they are having difficulty. ESLC is working now to provide similar tutoring services at Daphne High School.

The group was founded in 1983, and serves a fairly large area including Daphne, Fairhope, Montrose, Point Clear and Spanish Fort, and provides services through around 35 trained volunteer tutors. Erickson said, “A lot of our tutors are retired educators. It’s people who have time to give, and want to do something to help others.”

If you would like to volunteer or are someone needing help, call (251) 990-8300. More information is also available at www.esliteracy.org.

To donate, send a check to the Eastern Shore Literacy Council, 564 Fairhope Ave., Fairhope, AL 36532.