History

In 1968, community volunteers created the Greater Columbia Literacy Council with a budget of $50 to provide one-on-one literacy tutoring to adults who cannot read. Since our founding, we have recruited and trained over 1,500 tutors.

The volunteer literacy movement began on an international level in the mid-1960’s when Dr. Frank Laubach, a missionary, developed the Laubach Method to teach reading. We are proud that “Dr. Frank” himself was involved in starting our local affiliate.

In 1995, the Greater Columbia Literacy Council (GCLC) received the David W. Robinson Community Catalyst Award. This award was given by the Central Carolina Community Foundation for “leadership, creativity, vision and commitment” to addressing community literacy needs. In 2000, GCLC was chosen for statewide recognition and was selected for the Governor’s Award in the Humanities.

In 2000, the Council was awarded a Health Literacy grant from Pfizer, Inc., at that time one of only three such grants in the nation.

In 2002, the name was officially changed to Turning Pages.

Today, the agency has changed with the times, and now offers a full range of learner-led instructional programs. Small-group, computer-assisted, and individual tutoring emphasize life skills as well as reading fluency and English language acquisition. Turning Pages has served as many as 500 adults in one fiscal year.

On May 13, 2015, Turning Pages received the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) Community Service Award from the University of South Carolina (USC) Chapter. The award is given to non-profit organizations in the Midlands who have impacted their community in positive ways.