Project helping adults learn to read is booming; many more volunteers are needed

SALT LAKE CITY — Project Read is helping adults learn to read one word at a time.

How much does knowing how to read really matter? One Utah woman, at 71, has decided it makes all the difference and she is putting in the work to show it, word by word.

“It gives me opportunities to know about everything I want,” Olga Tarasova said. She is a student at Project Read, which helps adults not only learn to read but also understand math and even computer skills. It started in Salt Lake City in 2022. When KSL TV talked with Program Director Shauna Brown, there were seven students.

Now there are nearly 100. More than 100,000 adults — or about 17% of Salt Lake County — don’t know how to read or write at the most basic level.

“I didn’t expect the growth to be as fast as it’s been,” Brown said. “The need here is huge.”

Brown said she is thrilled to serve the community, but the program needs more volunteers.

“Today, I could use 35 or 50 volunteers.”

Volunteers help tutor students one-on-one, and though reading is a huge part of that, the lessons mean more than just what you see on a page. Volunteers like Vickie Venne meet with students twice a week for an hour and a half.

“Some of it’s reading, some of it’s understanding what you’re reading, and a lot of it is being able to communicate,” Venne said. She has known Tarasova for just a few weeks, but they’ve become fast friends.

“I like when Vickie read, it sounds like song for me,” Tarasova said.

Venne said her new friend is resilient and open.

“I love her and love her lessons,” Tarasova said. “Yes, but it is possible.”

Venne said one of the first things she wanted to do when she retired was connect — word by word.