By DAVID STONE, Our Town Temple

Reading a good book, surfing the Internet and scanning social media posts are a way of life for many Temple-area residents.

But for some people, just reading the instructions on a frozen pizza box can be a challenge. Thanks to the work of the Temple Literacy Council, more aromas of Italian cuisine are wafting through the Central Texas air.

“We teach adults who need help learning to read, and we also help non-English speaking residents learn a second language,” said Don Stiles, director of the volunteer organization.  “We recruit volunteers — many are retired teachers — and match them with students.”

The Temple Literacy Council has operated as a non-profit in the community since 1988, and it is fueled by  generous donations of money and time by individuals, businesses and civic organizations, Stiles said.

“We do an assessment of adults and determine where they are in their reading development,” he said. “Many are just learning English and some are English speaking but never learned to read as a kid. Perhaps they grew up on a farm and were busy working the fields. There are many reasons for not learning to read.”

Like everything else, efforts to help people learn to read were hindered by COVID-19.

“Before the pandemic, we had about 50 students every month,” Stiles said. “Right now, we’re at 15. We know the need is still there, and this is a good time to get help. We don’t have a great number of people waiting for services.”

“We know they are out there but have been slowed in seeking help because of the pandemic,” Stiles said. “Also, there’s a stigma attached to not knowing how to read — many are embarrassed.”

“But, we do have people coming back,” he said. “Our office is on the third floor of Temple Public Library (Suite 323) and we have two rooms there to do tutoring. We also have access to study rooms on the second floor.”

Once a person has been evaluated and their reading level determined, they are matched with a volunteer and attend sessions at least once or twice a week.

“We use books that have been developed for adults who can’t read,” Stiles said. “These aren’t children’s books — they are designed for adults who are at a low reading level.”

“We have found that there are very few people who can’t read anything,” he said. “Most just need improvement — sometimes a lot of improvement. We work to get that done.”

Stiles said many non English speaking clients are quite fluent in their native language but struggle with English.

“Many are well educated, they just need help with the new language,” he said. “Many are from Mexico, Venezuela or other Latin countries, but we see people from all over the world.  People are coming to Bell County from Asia and Africa, too. Fort Hood has brought in many Koreans who need help with English.”

In addition to helping people learn reading skills, Temple Literacy Council also helps prepare non Americans for the citizenship test.

“We don’t conduct citizenship classes, but we do offer one-on-one tutoring,” he said. “Candidates for citizenship have to be prepared to answer 100 questions about US government, geography and history. It’s multiple choice, and a computer selects 10 of the 100 questions so you really need to know them all. The test includes simple sentences, so they have to be able to read and write. We help with that.”

“Primarily, what we do is help adults who need to improve basic reading and writing skills in English and people who are learning English as a second language,” Stiles said. “More than half of our clients don’t speak English as their primary language.”

For more information about Temple Literacy Council, to register for help or to volunteer, contact Stiles at (254) 774-7323 or (254) 541-0684. All services are free.

Deadline for Micro-Enterprise Alliance business assistance is June 2

By DAVID STONE, Our Town Temple

Everything starts as a dream, and that includes plans to open and operate your own business.

To assist in making that dream come true, Doree Collins and the Un-Included Club has developed a program to provide five new businesses with a variety of services.

The Cultivate Micro-Enterprise Alliance is funded through a Community Development Block Grant and is open to any local business with no more than five employees.

If you have five or fewer employees and you are in the process of building your business, you are eligible to apply,” Collins said.

The deadline for applying for the program is June 2 and businesses that are selected to participate will be announced June 15.

“We want to help people realize and manifest their dreams,” Collins said.

Participants will be mentored through the process of planning, opening and maintaining a business, and Cultivate will assist with the finances of forming a business entity. Work space also will be provided for up to six months.

To register, CLICK HERE.

STEEL MAGNOLIAS STARTS SECOND WEEKEND

Truvy, played by Ashlee Boyd, reacts to a gunshot during the opening scene of Steel Magnolias. The Temple Civic Theatre production, directed by Natasha Tolleson, begins its final weekend with shows on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Visit templecivictheatre.com for showtimes and tickets. In related news, Temple Civic Theatre will announce its lineup for the 2022-23 MainStage and Youth seasons at 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 21, at Santa Fe Depot. Also, TCT’s new Managing & Artistic Director will be announced. David Stone photo

THURSDAY | MAY 12, 2022

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

today’s best bets

• Trivia Night at Fire Base Brewing Co.

• International Nurses Day at Corky’s. All Llano wines 1/2 off. Bring you badge to redeem specials.

• Steel Magnolias at Temple Civic Theatre. Show times and tickets at templecivictheatre.com

• Lonesome Dove: The Photo Exhibit runs through June 25. The exhibit is a collection of black-and-white framed photos captured by the late Bill Wittliff, renowned photographer, writer, and co-executive producer of the popular Western mini-series.

To include your events in What’s Happening and Today’s Best Bets, email information to OurTownTemple@gmail.com. Photos are welcome to for use in the publication as space permits!

In 1897, Charles Earl Bruner and G. Walter Gardenhire opened a business in Temple that made products out of tin. One product in particular was one of the hottest selling items in Texas. What did they make?

ANSWER AT END OF TODAY’S ISSUE

OurTownTemple@gmail.com | (254) 231-1574

TODAY’S TEMPLE TRIVIA ANSWER: Windmills. Hundreds and hundreds of windmills. They also made other items out of tin, such as cisterns.

Our Town Temple is predominantly a reader-supported publication. If you enjoy reading this publication, please consider supporting my work as a paid subscriber.