The annual Really Good, Really Big, Really Cheap Book Sale is a Greenville tradition that’s equal parts treasure hunt and community event. The sale, which takes place this year on Aug. 6, 8 and 9 at University Center on Pleasantburg Drive, is a massive collection of donated books—with readers digging through the stacks in search of their next favorite find.
Supporting Adult Education
What you may not realize is that the sale is the biggest fundraiser for Greenville Literacy Association (GLA), supporting programs that help adults and Upstate families improve literacy, language, and job skills. The bargain finds (and big crowds) support a mission that works year-round to open doors through education.
Since 1965, GLA has helped adults across the Upstate build literacy, job, and language skills that can lead to new opportunities. Today, the organization provides GED preparation and testing, Adult Basic Education courses, English as a Second Language (ESL) classes, one-on-one tutoring, digital literacy training, career readiness workshops, workplace training programs, and even coursework designed to help students become entrepreneurs.
According to GLA Executive Director Victoria Novak, the need for those services is greater than ever, because 1 in 5 adults in SC read at or below the third-grade level. But Novak added that literacy is only part of the organization’s mission.
“There are 45,000 residents in Greenville County who don’t have their high school diploma,” Novak said. “We help them get a GED, because statistics show that every credential adds an $8,000-$10,000 added to their annual income.”
Novak can immediately point to former student who has benefited from that approach. “One great success story is GLA student, AlecZondra, who returned to school after years away from the classroom,” she said. “While balancing motherhood, work, and classes, she earned her GED and is now studying Culinary Arts at Greenville Technical College while building her own catering business.”
Original reporting: Greenville Journal — read the source article.
