Teams Forming for Annual Scrabble Challenge

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Family Centers’ Board member Marge Berkley (left) and Cynthia Rohde playing a game of Scrabble at a past event (Contributed Photo)
Family Centers’ Board member Marge Berkley (left) and Cynthia Rohde playing a game of Scrabble at a past event (Contributed Photo)

A game that tests a person’s vocabulary, spelling and reading skills will come full circle and give back to those who seek out adult literacy education in Fairfield County.

While the words played don’t matter in the board game of Scrabble (it’s all about the points), the tally of the tiles will go much further in this year’s annual Scrabble Challenge to benefit Literacy Volunteers programs and services offered in the area.

School groups, friends and family and business community members are invited to take part in the 16th annual Scrabble Challenge, which promises friendly rivalries and competition, two rounds of the classic board game and as many unique uses of the letters Q and Z as there are Q and Z tiles.

Teams are forming until Tuesday, Nov. 15, when the Stamford Hilton will host the event at 6 p.m.

“It’s a fun event where teams of three get together a play two half-hour games,” said Lucia Cook, Literacy Volunteers’ manager. “There are fun rivalries and also teams that are very serious, but a majority of the teams come out to have a really fun time.”

The Scrabble Challenge is broken into three divisions: School Groups, Corporate/Business and Family and Friends. Teams made up of three players will compete for the highest cumulative score over two games of the classic board game.

Literacy Volunteers provides English language literacy instruction to adults who are at least 17 and out of school, and provide education to over 700 adults each year.

Through trained and dedicated volunteers (over 130 in total), the program offers classes at no charge to students, complete with a textbook curriculum to help clients reach their personal and occupational goals.

The program knows that seeking out adult education can come with hurdles, so with flexible classes and 100 volunteer tutors, a step toward reading and writing the English language can be taken for many—no matter what stage they are at in life.

“There are many barriers to a lot of our students returning to school,” said Cook. “We try to ease those barriers by having classes in 17 locations throughout Stamford and Greenwich.”

Cook, who started as a volunteer 15 years ago, said the ages range from 18 to 90 in the classes, and education levels can be anywhere from third grade level to those with graduate degrees.

“We group them based on what time they can take the class and their level,” said Cook. “We do see a lot of progress, particularly in the beginning levels.”

Small groups form once per week for a two-hour class that often features a variety of different cultures.

“The more they are using it outside the classroom, that’s where the real progress is made,” said Cook. “Our volunteers are fantastic.”

And because the services and classes provided to those in Literacy Volunteers’ programs are free to those enrolled, an event that raises funds from some of the area’s vocabulary masters, Scrabble enthusiasts and generous neighbors draws a unique parallel to the mission of the dedicated volunteer tutors.

In 2013, Literacy Volunteers merged with Family Centers, and the tradition of the annual Scrabble event was kept. The champion team in each division will win the perpetual Scrabble Challenge Champion trophy for one year, until the next year’s event. Each member of the first, second and third place teams in each division will take home a silver plate.

For more information about the Scrabble Challenge, contact Aleksa Lazarewicz-Anstsey at alazarewiz@familycenters.org or 203-869-4848.

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