Project: LEARN provides free education to adults in need

Education is a huge factor when it comes to succeeding in life, and sometimes people need a little extra help getting that last piece of the puzzle they need to be successful. That's where Project: LEARN of Medina County steps in. Project: LEARN is an organization that intends to make sure every adult in Medina County who wants literacy education can get it at no charge. It began in 1983 when founder Ellen Daiber saw a population in Medina County that wanted help becoming literate in English. Daiber decided to tackle this issue head-on and began tutoring out of the basement of a local church. In the years since, Project: LEARN now has four different locations throughout the county. After almost 25 years operating solely as a tutoring center, administrators of Project: LEARN realized they were in desperate need of a new source of funding to stay afloat. The program had very specific constraints when it came to this project: It had to relate to their mission of adult tutoring and increasing literacy, be managed primarily by volunteers, worked on a shoestring budget and it could not negatively impact other nonprofit organizations in Medina County. With all the constraints in mind, former Executive Director Linda Smalley came up with the idea of a used book store. A few months later, in August 2008, Project: LEARN's "The BookShelf" was created. Whenever someone donates a book to the store, it is sold for around $2 to $4 per book. Now there are three different libraries and each has its own specialty selection. The Medina location, 105 W. Liberty St., tends to carry more mysteries, thrillers and audiobooks. The Wadsworth location, 130 Main St., specializes in books about antiques, rare books and has a very well-organized religion/inspirational section. The Brunswick location, 831 Pearl Road, has the most floor space and the most sections of books, including a wide variety of romance novels and a special shelf dedicated to autographed books. They also feature an online book store and always are accepting new book donations. Project: LEARN now tutors more than just English literature. They also offer GED tutoring, English as a second language, State Tested Nursing Assistant test, the Armed Service Vocational Aptitude Battery, the U.S. Citizenship test, the Test for Adult Basic Education, the Test of English as a Foreign Language, Commercial Driving License as well as general reading and math tutoring. It provides tutoring services to all of the above subjects for free in a one-on-one or small group setting to any adult 18 or older. Typically, a student that walks in the door would meet a tutor supervisor who matches a student to a tutor depending on the area they require tutoring. COVID-19 has made keeping the program running financially difficult for Project: LEARN, due to fundraisers being canceled and low book sales. Despite low funding, they still have been committed to educating students. They have had to adapt to distanced learning, like most students in Medina County, and the struggles associated with it. For more than 35 years, Project: LEARN has been helping students conquer seemingly titanic tasks that allow them to move forward with their lives and open new doors and opportunities. That being said, Project: LEARN always is in need of donations, whether that be volunteered hours or a monetary donation. Their website has an extensive list of all the ways to help. Aaron Niedermyer, a sophomore at Brunswick High School, is one of over 50 student "backpack journalists" (grades 6-12) in the award-winning BEAT Video Program. Go to www.brunswickschoolsvideoprogram.org to learn more about the program, or visit https://thebeat.viebit.com to view videos produced by the students.