The 14th Annual Scrabble Tournament for literacy on Thursday, May 26, at the German Club Manor on Virginia Tech’s campus from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. will raise funds for Literacy Volunteers of the New River Valley (LVNRV) to help local adults learn to read, speak English, and reach their goals for personal independence and family self-sufficiency.
The friendly word-play competition will be emceed by Radford City Mayor David Horton. The evening will kick off with a selection of local food offerings, and Scrabble play will commence at 6:15 p.m.. Teams of three will play two games of Scrabble against two different teams with the scores from both games added together to determine the winner. Among the awards to be given are the top scorer, the longest word, the highest score word, and the most creative team name.
Participants may register as a team of three for $100, or sign up as an individual for $35, and the organization will match a player with a team.
Teams may choose from “competitive” or “just for fun” play categories. Players can buy a “peek” at the dictionary for $3 or purchase a “cheat sheet” for $5. To find out more and to register, visit www.lvnrv.org or call 540-382-7262.
Approximately 20% of New River Valley residents ages 16 to 74 have below-basic literacy skills. 24,000 adults struggle with very basic reading and even higher proportions struggle with numeracy skills. Although most adults in our area are employed, the need for basic skills in most of the population makes keeping a job or getting a better job challenging.
Literacy Volunteers of the New River Valley is a United Way partner agency that provides free instruction in reading, writing, math, basic computer skills, ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages), and assistance preparing for exams such as the GED, the U.S. Citizenship test, and the driver’s license exam to help adults achieve their goals.
Tutoring is provided by trained volunteers through one-to-one, small-group, and class instruction at the Christiansburg learning center as well as public locations throughout the New River Valley. Literacy Volunteers also provides family literacy programming to help parents learn to read to their children and support their children’s education.
To purchase tickets for the Scrabble Tournament or for more information on LVNRV, participants may go to www.lvnrv.org, email info@lvnrv.org, or call 540-382-7262.