THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, October 14, 1996 TAG: 9610140063
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY NANCY LEWIS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: 75 lines
Dorothy Davis knows the meaning of hopeless.
``It means that you gave up,'' she said quickly, when quizzed.
It's not a word that describes this Norfolk woman. At 42, she's learning to read and write all over again.
In 1988, Davis, a nurse, was in an automobile accident that resulted in the loss of much of her memory, including almost everything she'd learned in high school and college - and even earlier.
In fact, when she began working with Tidewater Literacy Council's volunteer tutor Wilhelmina Mathis 17 months ago, Davis was reading at the third-grade level.
Since then, she's conquered vowels, verbs, nouns and nuances, and is now working at the 10th-grade level.
The Portsmouth-based Tidewater Literacy Council makes use of about 250 tutors each year to help some 400 folks from South Hampton Roads cities learn the basics.
The nonprofit organization is one of 68 agencies that receive funds from United Way of Hampton Roads.
United Way's annual campaign is now going on. So far, 40 percent of the $15.3 million goal has been reached.
Last year, TLC received more than $15,000 from United Way.
During a recent session at Norfolk's Blyden Library, Mathis coached Davis, firmly and gently.
``Explain what wood is,'' said Mathis.
``Wood is a part of the tree,'' answered Davis.
It was not many months ago that Davis responded to such questions differently.
``She'd just use the word to explain the word,'' Mathis said. ``She'd say, `wood is wood.' ''
The two women looked at each other and laughed, remembering.
Sometimes Davis still gets stuck on quotation marks and other forms of punctuation. And, until recently, she didn't put any ``oomph'' into the stories she read aloud, said Mathis. Now, she's learning to make her voice interesting.
``Read this,'' directs Mathis, pointing to the story Davis had for homework.
``I'll never forget the year I was out of work,'' Mathis begins, her voice rising and falling with inflection. ``I was almost destroyed.'' Her voice trails off sadly with the last word.
Mathis, who was named TLC 1996-97 Tutor of the Year in May, has taught a total of nine people during her two years in the program. Her first student recently got a job, something Mathis is proud of.
``You teach them more than reading, '' she said. ``How to dress, how to fill out job applications, read street maps.'' And, she said, you add a little humor. That will come in handy when she starts working with her next student, a 60-year-old who never learned to read. That's a situation that is especially difficult, both for student and teacher, Mathis said.
``It's not very interesting,'' she said. ``I mean, how much can Dick and Jane do, anyway?''
Most TLC students are adults, though there are a few under 18 who dropped out of high school.
``There are so many who've just fallen through the cracks,'' said Christine Antonucci, TLC executive director. ``Many are learning-disabled and never got the attention they needed.''
The program is always running at capacity, but with more funding, more people could be helped, Antonucci said.
The one-on-one mentoring project was founded in 1970. ILLUSTRATION: LAWRENCE JACKSON
The Virginian-Pilot
Volunteer Wilhelmina Mathis, left, helps Dorothy Davis recover
reading skills she lost when she was hurt in a wreck in 1988. Davis
is one of the 400 people the council serves each year.
VP Chart
UNITED WAY OF SOUTH HAMPTON ROADS
KEYWORDS: UNITED WAY by CNB