Literacy SC closed out 2025 by welcoming more than 75 guests to Satterlee Hall at the historic Trinity Episcopal Cathedral for its first annual Read Aloud Brunch. The gathering brought together staff, volunteers, and supporters from across multiple counties and marked the launch of “Loretta’s Light,” the inaugural Loretta Beckner Legacy Award.
Loretta Beckner, co-founder of Literacy SC’s Turning Pages Aiken branch, passed away in November 2025 following a lengthy battle with cancer. The annual award honors an outstanding tutor-learner partnership that exemplifies commitment beyond expectations. The first recipients were volunteer tutor Sandy Jowers and her two learners, Ethan and Chandler, both in their 20s.
Jowers brings more than 35 years of experience in South Carolina education to her role as a Literacy SC volunteer. She began her career in 1979 as a French and language arts teacher at Olanta High School, later spending a decade teaching English at Swansea High School. During the 1990s, she served as both a teacher and administrative assistant at Airport High School. In 1998, Jowers transitioned into leadership within Lexington County School District One, serving as assistant principal at Pelion High School before being named principal of Pelion Middle School in 2006. Today, she applies that lifetime of classroom and administrative expertise to the one-on-one success of adult learners in the Turning Pages program.
Chandler entered the program struggling to read sight words. After 48 tutoring sessions with Jowers, he earned his driver’s permit for the first time and now builds robots using simplified instructions. Ethan arrived with deep-seated educational trauma that had caused him to stop reading entirely. After 24 sessions with Jowers, he gained the confidence to enroll in community college.
“The progress Ethan and Chandler have made here in Richland County is the exact reason Loretta Beckner started the Aiken branch,” said Lisa Cole, CEO of Literacy SC. “She believed reading is a foundational right. By celebrating Sandy and her learners, we ensure Loretta’s Light continues to change the trajectory of lives right here in our community.”
Literacy SC provides in-person instruction across Richland, Lexington, Aiken, and Saluda counties through 27 partner sites. The organization also offers free virtual programs, including Reading Begins Here, available statewide. Literacy SC’s spring semester runs from January 19 through May 23.
For more information about the Turning Pages Adult Reading Program or volunteer opportunities, visit www.literacysc.org
Pictured left to right Literacy SC instructor Kat Kezon chats with a volunteer tutor. Photo by John Lowery Photography
