ATTLEBORO - For 20 years, The Literacy Center of Attleboro has been helping to light the way to a better future for area residents, assisting with a range of needs from high school equivalency exams to learning English to becoming U.S. citizens.

To continue to provide that support, The Literacy Center is currently conducting its sixth annual fundraising campaign, dubbed "Fight the Darkness - Be A Light of Literacy" and is reaching out to the community for support.

Those wishing to help, can do so as follows:

A $20 donation will purchase one General Education Development (GED) study guide.

A $50 donation will purchase four picture dictionaries. A $100 donation will fund a three-hour class for a group of 12 students.

A $500 donation will train four new tutors.

A $1,000 donation will sponsor a student to study for a year.

Proceeds from the annual fund will help The Literacy Center to continue to meet the needs of its adult learners, according to Executive Director Joan Ricci.

"We are especially looking to include more computer literacy and financial literacy classes for people who are seeking employment opportunities and need more skills," Ricci said.

"We continue to have a wait list and hope to serve people as quickly as we can."

Ricci also notes that in view of its milestone anniversary, The Literacy Center is hoping to have its best annual fund yet.

"We're hoping to make our annual fund special this year since it is the 20th anniversary of the founding of TLC by a group of volunteers," Ricci said of the effort.

As part of the celebration of the milestone anniversary, the Literacy Center held a special volunteer appreciation event in October at the Attleboro Arts Museum, where it displayed an exhibit titled "Through the Lens - Literacy Volunteers Lighting the Way - 20 Portraits for 20 Years," which offered inspiring portraits of tutors, volunteers and students from TLC's history.

Janette Sears can be reached by phone or fax at 508-222-0993 or by e-mail at janette.boulay@gmail.com.