Literacy Stars at Agency’s Program

Two years ago, screenwriter-producer-director and Creative Artists’ Agency client Joan Tewkesbury sent CAA literary agent Jane Sindell a notice that a contribution to the Literacy Volunteers of America Inc. had been made in Sindell’s name.

That was Sindell’s introduction to the organization, which trains tutors and pairs them with adults and teens who cannot read, write or speak English.

Impressed by LVA’s work and by the staggering illiteracy rate--about 30 million Americans, an estimated 1.5 million of them in Los Angeles County, cannot read above the fifth-grade level--Sindell and fellow CAA agent Matthew Snyder decided to help introduce LVA to the entertainment community.

Tuesday night, on International Literacy Day, CAA hosted a cocktail party and program honoring LVA adult learners at its Beverly Hills headquarters; it was attended by a number of the superagency’s writing and producing clients.

“Reading and writing are so fundamental, we thought if we could just bring awareness of the problem on an individual basis, people could get involved financially or volunteer (to tutor),” Sindell explained.

The entertainment industry can contribute by incorporating literacy themes in films and television projects, said Bill Melendez, president of the LVA-California state board. “I’d like to see the industry portray the problems of illiterate individuals, so they will know there is help,” he said. “And it’s only through awareness that readers can become sensitive to and identify those in need. The industry can provide that awareness and understanding.”

The evening lacked the celeb power suggested by its title: “The 30-Star Salute to Literacy”; “Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek was the sole star on hand. But the adult learners who spoke tugged at enough emotions to do any Hollywood scriptwriter proud.

“Home Show” greengrocer Curtis Aikens had to remind himself not to cry when he spoke of how he learned to read seven years ago at age 26 and how he is using his television job to inspire others to seek help, without shame or embarrassment.

A beaming Grace Matera of Jamesburg, N.J., a native of Poland, expressed her gratitude after LVA founder Ruth Colvin read her national contest-winning essay, “How Speaking English Helps Me Reach for the Stars.”

Probably the evening’s most poignant moment came when LVA national board member Kathy Schultz, who said she had felt worthless before learning to read at 40, bluntly told the audience: “I’m not different than you. I just don’t have a skill you have.”

Among CAA clients taking note were author Rona Jaffe; screenwriter Anne Spielberg, who co-wrote “Big”; Nell Scovell, producer of television’s “Coach,” and Corrinne Mann and Stuart Okun, who head the feature division of Witt-Thomas Films.