JEFFERSON PARK : Celebrity Readings to Benefit Literacy

Director and producer Debbie Allen, actress Alaina Reed-Hall and singer Rappin’ Granny will be among the readers at the West Los Angeles Literacy Empowerment Team’s Celebrity Reading on Saturday.

The event is aimed at raising awareness about the organization, known as WALET, as well as adult illiteracy. The 83-member volunteer group began in 1992 after the riots and, in conjunction with Los Angeles Public Library, trains volunteers to teach reading, writing and living skills. The group is one of the largest of its kind in the Los Angeles area.

Allen is known for her work on the television shows “Fame” and “A Different World” and Reed-Hall appears on “227.” Rappin’ Granny is the stage name of Vivian Smallwood, a Hawthorne grandmother who once disdained rap music but now uses it to preach an anti-drug message.

The free event will be at 7 p.m. at West Angeles Church, 3045 Crenshaw Blvd. It is sponsored in part by Bank of America, Food 4 Less, Home Savings of America, Kaiser Health Plan Foundation and the AFL-CIO Local 660.

Information: (213) 291-1106.