Project Read helps students turn the page

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Steve Hupp

February 2, 2012

Special to the Register The Richmond Register Thu Feb 02, 2012, 08:30 AM EST

RICHMOND — Steve Hupp likes solving problems, and at 27 years old, he has seen more than his fair share. Hupp has been in and out of hospitals since childhood, making it difficult for him to focus on school. To make it worse, he also is dyslexic.

Hupp dropped out of school in the 11th grade.

“Some places wouldn’t even give me an application,” he said about his search for a job. “I had doors close on me. I even had girlfriends break up with me.”

Having spent a significant portion of his life in hospitals, Hupp dreamed of a career in patient relations.

“After four heart surgeries, I know I can relate to patients,” he said.

The problem for him is that working with patients requires at least a high school diploma. So, after having a job driving a forklift in a warehouse, he decided to go after his GED where he ran into an old problem.

“I have trouble with math,” Hupp said. After several attempts at the GED test, math kept holding him back. His dyslexia kept him from understanding the questions. Eventually, he gave up.

“It’s such a downer,” he said. “You try and try but you don’t get anywhere.”

This is where the Richmond nonprofit organization Project Read intervenes.

“A lot of students have similar problems,” said Waline Webb, an EKU Adult Education instructor who teaches math classes at the Project Read office as a result of the GED partnership program between Eastern Kentucky University and Project Read. “I try to help them slow down and understand the problems. That actually makes them faster at solving them.”

For the students who stick with the pursuit of an education, Project Read provides free tutoring, access to books, a study area and practice tests, Webb said.

“Though a group of volunteers provide tutoring, its still a service that costs money,” Webb said.

“Like other nonprofits, we’ve seen a drop in our funding with the economic crisis,” said John Sipple, Project Read’s governing board chair. “Our donations have dropped 38 percent since 2007. It costs us about $500 per student to operate. That money goes toward utilities, books and upkeep of the facility.”

Getting a GED is a journey one that often leads to some bumps in the road.

“Life interferes,” said Brenda Thomas, Project Read executive director. “A lot of adult learners have families or they have work. Life gets in the way.”

For those who persist, however, the GED is a bridge to college and career advancement.

Project Read helps more people than just those working toward a GED, Thomas said.

“We help people gain a basic proficiency to function in everyday life,” she said.

This includes helping people fill out medical and insurance forms, or helping them learn how to balance a checkbook.

“We help people become more independent,” Thomas said.

Project Read welcomes students 16 years of age or older who are not enrolled in a formal classroom program.

Call 623-4905 for more information about Project Read.

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Project Read helps students turn the page

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