The manager of Delta Council’s Adult Literacy Program says evaluations for candidates for the program have been going well.
Margaret Cotton was evaluating six candidates Monday at the Greenwood Mentoring Group’s annex at 124 Ave. G. She was to continue her evaluations of four additional candidates today.
Cotton praised the groundwork done by the volunteers at the mentoring group for the 10-week program, which will be conducted by Delta Council tutors.
“These troupers have been out. They’ve been beating the bushes. They’ve done all the marketing. I’m very impressed with the work they’ve done,” Cotton said.
It is likely that two tutors will work with five participants each. The tutoring is done on a one-on-one basis.
Started in 2002, the Adult Literacy Program serves 18 Delta and part-Delta counties. Other areas served include Panola County, Sunflower County and the Batesville Job Corps office.
“We’ve set them up in a farm, an office, in the back of a bank, in the back of a lawyer’s office — wherever there’s a need,” Cotton said.
The program needs at least four adults to participate. It is open to those 18 and above. Adults currently enrolled in high school are not eligible.
“What I do is the pre-screening to make sure they are meeting the qualifications for the program — that they’re on that grade level that needs help,” Cotton said.
Often, the program produces an increase of between three and four grade levels for the participants, she said.
The last time the Adult Literacy Program was held in Greenwood was 2014, when it was sponsored by the Greenwood-Leflore County Chamber of Commerce.
Bill Clay, the founder of the mentoring group, gave credit to former state Rep. Linda Whittington for connecting with Chip Morgan, Delta Council’s executive vice president, to get the program going.
• Contact Bob Darden at 581-7239 or bdarden@gwcommonwealth.com.
