Canton, NY, May 28, 2012 — Literacy advocates in the North Country say nearly 1 in 5 adults in St. Lawrence County has a problem reading. That means things like filling out a job application or taking a driving test may be challenging, or beyond their abilities. At the same time, funding for literacy programs has dropped dramatically in recent years. North Country programs now rely almost entirely on volunteer tutors.

Anne Mazzotta wanted to get involved with literacy efforts in St. Lawrence Country after she retired as a nurse and counselor. This was about ten years ago. But she ran into a problem: In a county where around 17% of adults had problems reading, there was no literacy program. Mazzotta called Literacy of Northern New York, in Watertown. Martha Foley has more.