Love playing Scrabble? Here’s your chance to play for a good cause with friendly competition!
The 15th Annual Scrabble Tournament for Literacy 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 held Thursday, April 27 at Sinkland Farms in Christiansburg from 5:30-8:30 p.m.
Emceed by WDBJ7’s Andrew Webb, 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. Awards will be given to the Top Scorer, Longest Word, Highest Score Word, Most Creative Team Name, and more. 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 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, and 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.
LVNRV, a United Way partner agency, 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, U.S. Citizenship test, and driver’s license 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. LVNRV 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, please go to www.lvnrv.org, email info@lvnrv.org, or call 540-382-7262.
Submitted by Literacy Volunteers of the New River Valley
