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Oakville Literacy Council at Oakville Home Showpeople are willing to support their efforts,literacy organizations across Canada willcompare suppliers, talk to experts, or getFour out of 10 adult Canadians, the helped may one day become the help-raise the profile of adult learners and lifelonginformation before tackling a do-it-yourself aged 16 to 65 representing nine ers.learning. Martenson said its also aboutproject. Imagine trying to do those things if million Canadians struggle International Adult Learners Week wasencouraging everyone to keep developingyou had difficulties with the written word?with low literacy.officially launched by UNESCO in 2000 andtheir skills and trying new things.For more information about the OakvilleLess than 10 per cent of has been celebrated in Canada since 2002.People go to the home show to learnLiteracy Council, visit www.oakvilleliteracy.Canadians who could benefit from Throughout the week, adult learning andsomething new, she said. They want toca or call 905-469-8528.literacy upgrading programs actu-ally enroll.Bernie Martenson, president of the Oakville Literacy Council, says taking this message to the streets is important, and thats why the Council will be kicking off International Adult Learners Week (April 2 to 9) by exhibiting at the Oakville Lifestyle Home Show this weekend.An awareness week like this gives us a chance to direct some attention to adult literacy, which isnt talked about as much as it should be, she said. Low literacy affects employment prospects, health, involvement in your com-munity everything that con-tributes to your quality of life.The Oakville Literacy Council is a charitable organization pro-viding free, personalized tutoring to adults in reading, writing and basic math. To help support increasing demand for their ser-vices, theyll also be fundraising at the home show.More and more people are coming to us for help because we offer custom-made lessons and one-on-one tutoring, Martenson said. This approach helps stu-dents meet their goals, but its very taxing on our limited resourc-es.When you visit their exhibit at the Glen Abbey Recreation Centre this weekend (Friday from 1 to 9 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.), you can try some fun literacy activities, see exam-ples of the workbooks students use in lessons, and enter a draw for prizes courtesy of Chapters Oakville, R & R Books, Starbucks, and Binz 2 B Cleaned.In addition to showing their support as prize donors, Binz 2 B Cleaned (a local company that cleans garbage, recycling, and green bins for residents and busi-nesses) recently announced that they will be donating a portion of all orders they receive in April and May to the Oakville Literacy Council.It is our pleasure to support such a worthwhile cause, said Dejan Kriek, operations manager for Binz 2 B Cleaned. The self-esteem and confidence that the Oakville Literacy Council brings to those in need will help them have a much better quality of life. I think that if the students see that 19 Wednesday, March 30, 2011 OAKVILLE BEAVER www.insideHALTON.com