A Q&A with the Horry County Literary Council: Murder Mystery Fundraiser

Can you provide a brief summary of your organization and mission?

We are a local non-profit that has been in existence since 1976. Our mission is to improve the lives of youth, adults, and families by teaching basic literacy and life skills for economic and social success.

We are here as a resource for the community. We have an active Board of Directors that supports our mission.  To be successful, we are always looking for local volunteers to join the Horry County Literacy Council so we can continue to meet the literacy needs in our community.

What makes HCLC unique? 

We offer FREE, confidential, individualized, private, and successful tutoring/literacy support for children and adults in Horry County, and recently, we started two after-school programs in Georgetown County.

How does your organization make this happen?

HCLC is continuously bringing on new volunteers who are interested in making a difference in their community.  We provide training and resources to the volunteers and then pair them with a student in need.  We presently have over 141 tutors. Some of them are student/tutor pairs working together this fall, and some of the tutors are at the REC centers after school. Several of our tutors are tutoring two students. In total, we are tracking over 200 volunteer hours each month. 

What types of programs does HCLC use?

HCLC offers several programs to address dyslexia, adult illiteracy, English as a Second Language, GED preparation, and literacy support. We also offer our unique Read and Create Program once a month in 4 REC centers. HCLC students are diversified in their needs; our programs strive to meet these needs. HCLC will develop a protocol to address individuals seeking assistance. It would be much easier for HCLC to concentrate on providing only specific programs, but individuals who need tutoring are not easy to categorize. 

Does your organization work with other local agencies? 

Yes! During the school year, we work with the Horry County Parks and Rec Department.  We support the North Strand, South Strand, Carolina Forest, and Green Sea rec centers with tutoring support. These students are a captive audience – they are there for after-school activities, and our tutors are able to work with the students (there are approximately 150 students in these after-school programs).

Outside of the rec center, we have strong ties to all of the Horry County Libraries, including the Chapin Library, Horry County Adult Schools, Socastee HS (theater), the MB Chamber of Commerce, and Together SC. We are also affiliated with ProLiteracy, which is a national organization that addresses literacy.

We never give up on an individual – if we are faced with a situation where we are unable to help someone, we partner to find a solution for that individual.

If someone wanted to become a volunteer, what should they do?

We are always looking for volunteers to join us! We offer an orientation session and training for the tutors every 4-6 weeks.  The orientation session is approx. one hour. We ask that they visit our website (https://horrycountyliteracy.org) and submit a volunteer request form.

Volunteer Interest Form – Help Children To Read – Improve Literacy Rates : (horrycountyliteracy.org)

Does a volunteer need certain qualifications? 

Successful volunteers are open-minded, flexible, and enthusiastic!  We love to celebrate small successes with our students of all ages. All our tutors undergo a background check.  We provide training and support, so while many of our volunteers are teachers or retired, it is absolutely not required. The key ingredient is a willingness to truly help someone become a better reader, and our tutors bring a plethora of life experiences to share.

If one of our readers is interested in being tutored, what should they do?

We have a form on our website that they should complete. The first step would be to have an assessment done, and then our Executive Director works to pair the student with one of our tutors.

How is your non-profit funded? 

Our three sources of funding are grants, private donations, and fundraising.  Our signature fundraiser is our annual Murder Mystery Dinner and silent auction. In fact, we are planning our next Murder Mystery, Drop Dead Disco, which will take place on Saturday, March 1, 2025, at the Dunes Golf & Beach Club. It is a full-course dinner with a silent auction and raffles.  This year, we will partner with the Socastee High School Theatre and look forward to a wonderful production and fun time.

Thank you for sharing information about your non-profit.  Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers today before we close?

We would like to say thank you to all our current volunteers, and we look forward to meeting new volunteers.  Our students are the reason for our existence, and our volunteers are the core to their success.  We encourage folks to visit our website and join our Facebook page to get in touch with us and get involved in our community!