PICKENS – Thursday night was a time for celebration as members of the Pickens County Literacy Association met to introduce tutors and students who have participated in the association this year at the Holy Cross Catholic Church.

The group enjoyed a catered meal from Kountry Katering in Pickens. Awards were given to three special tutors that have made a difference in Pickens County by tutoring those who are illiterate.

K.P. Henderson, a student with the Pickens County Literacy Association told the group that his tutor, Barbara Ann was more than a teacher. He said she has become a good friend over the time they’ve spent together.

“I thank God for these blessings and for the Pickens County Literacy Association,” said Henderson. “I also thank God for teachers that take their time to help people learn. I enjoy learning, and I want to keep on learning.”

The groups motto is “Where each one- teach one” and several tutors gave testimonies of how they have learned so much from their students throughout their tutoring sessions.

Mary Kelly, a tutor said she had never tutored a person in literacy that she didn’t learn from herself. She said she believes education is the great equalizer anyone can give.

A group of the tutors spoke of their experiences with those who speak other languages. Those tutors go to Panchos restaurants in the Pickens, Liberty and Central areas and tutor their employees.

All of the tutors said that the employees are eager to learn and they are such a blessing.

The Pickens County Literacy Association works with children and adults in the county that can’t read and want to. They also try to help those from other countries that want to learn the English language.

During the event, Judy Finley, Wal-Mart Community Coordinator, presented a check to the association for $1,000.

“Wal-Mart wants to thank you for all you do in the community to give everyone a chance to learn,” said Finley.

The speaker for the evening was Dot Jackson. She was born in Miami and attended the University of Miami. She has been a reporter for multiple news papers in the area and around the country. She is the author of the book Refuge. The book was published over 40 years after she wrote it. She is a Pulitzer Prize nominee.

During Jackson’s talk, she spoke of a story that touched her life. She said that she was in the post office one day and saw a guy with a peg leg standing by himself at a window. People came and went and he just stood there. She wondered what he was doing until she noticed that a lady that worked at the post office was helping him with his bills.

The man would come once a month to the lady at the post office. He would give her the bills and money and she would mail them off for him.

This man couldn’t read or write. This was an eye-opener for Jackson.

“It’s hard on people in the working world that can’t read,” said Jackson. “I wonder today how many illiterate children we are sending into the working world. I feel like today, we are not educating students, we are just schooling them.”

She continued on with several stories of encounters with illiterate people. She also spoke of how dedicated the immigrants are that come to our country and want to learn the language.

Jackson’s main point was that there are a lot of illiterate people in Pickens County, and it is the job of the educated to become the educators.