FLAIR for Reading : Both students and volunteer tutors are benefiting from the Santa Paula Library’s literacy program.

Fifteen months ago, Doris Wood Murphy, 68, and her new protege, a 25-year-old Latino man, had little in common except their private pain. Murphy was newly widowed. The man, who asked not to be identified, was unable to read even a menu.

But both have been enriched since Murphy began tutoring the man through the Santa Paula Library’s Family Literacy: Aid in Reading program (FLAIR).

“He began as a non-reader. Now he is at the fourth-grade level,” Murphy said during a recent tutoring session. “And he has very good comprehension. But it isn’t mastered overnight.”

Murphy also has benefited from the experience. “Doris was devastated” after her husband’s death, said Elaine Hunt, FLAIR’s volunteer coordinator. “We encouraged her to get involved in the program. It has really brought her around.”

Since its inception in 1985, the program has helped about 500 Santa Paula residents, Hunt said. In 1989, the program added another component, called “Families for Literacy,” with the goal of encouraging illiterate parents to stimulate learning in their children.

Free books and ESL materials are also given to the predominantly Latino community that FLAIR serves, said Hunt, 66, a retired high school teacher. Because it is funded by grant and private donations, it is a challenge to keep the program operating, she added.

“When people come to us for help, most can’t speak English. So we teach English as a second language and reading,” Hunt said. Twice a year, those completing the program receive certificates signed by local legislators.

About 65 people, ages 17 to 80, volunteer as tutors, Hunt said. About half of them are senior citizens.

“It’s the dedication of the tutors who come night after night--helping people through all kinds of problems and helping them to read--that makes them confident, contributing citizens,” she said.

Judging by his progress, Murphy’s student is an example of what can be accomplished.

Surrounded by groups of high school students doing homework together at tables in the library, Murphy and her student spend an hour together two evenings a week.

Murphy’s student, the youngest of 12 children, was born in Santa Maria and works in an assembly plant. He said he is more comfortable speaking English than Spanish, although both are spoken at home.

“My biggest problem was I didn’t know how to read,” said the man, who explained that a fear of failure in elementary school emotionally paralyzed him. After he was placed in special education classes, he said he rebelled against the learning-disabled label by tuning out completely, until he finally dropped out of school in the ninth grade.

“To be honest, I feel in some way I was cheated because I was never flunked,” he said. “They just passed me to avoid the problem. But they should have talked to my parents or got help for me. Kids like me need some counseling and motivation.”

They also need skills they can take into the adult world. “It’s really painful,” he said. “The hardest thing was fear--fear of paperwork, of job applications. At work I was always afraid somebody would come up to me with a funny card to read. And if I took a girl out on a date, I couldn’t read a menu.”

He credited friends with encouraging him to seek help from the FLAIR program. Now, “I have hope because my teacher showed me I can do it,” he said, nodding at Murphy.

“Once I get my high school diploma, I feel I can go to college, learn more. And one day I can help somebody else.”

BECOMING A TUTOR

You can change the direction of someone’s life by giving two hours of your time each week as a FLAIR tutor. Free training is offered each month. The next session will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday at the Santa Paula Community Center, 530 W. Main St. Participants then attend some or all workshops from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Jan. 30. The FLAIR program serves residents of Santa Paula. To learn more about becoming a volunteer or to request help with literacy skills, call the FLAIR office at the Santa Paula Library, 119 N. 8th St., at 525-2384.

Laubach Literacy of Ventura County serves residents throughout the county. Volunteer tutors receive free training to teach reading and writing to English speakers. They also teach English conversation, reading and writing to people who want to learn English. Volunteers tutor on a one-on-one basis or may teach conversation in small groups. Teaching is confidential and done at times and locations convenient to those involved. Free tutor training workshops are offered quarterly. The next sessions will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Jan. 23 and 30 and Feb. 6 at All Saints Episcopal Church, 144 S. C St., Oxnard. For information about the Laubach Literacy program, call 650-8287.

Information about other literacy programs can be obtained from local libraries.