When you think of a spelling bee, you probably think of middle school kids competing against each other.
Not today – an adult spelling bee was full of characters and all for a very good cause.
This is the seventh year the Literacy Coalition of Central Texas has hosted the Great Grown-up Spelling Bee. This year's competition was held downtown at the Austin Music Hall. Teams of three all work for correct spelling and for most original costume.
It's a way to have fun, have a laugh and raise money for a very important cause.
One in five adults in Central Texas can not read at a basic level. The Great Grown-up Spelling Bee raises money to help the Literacy Coalition of Central Texas to continue to provide outreach in the community.
This year, more than $75, 000 has been raised, which will help assist more than 150,000 people who need literacy services and classes in the area.
"So many of the programs are volunteer driven, they run with very few resources. So that is our role to bolster those programs that have very few resources. But a little bit of money goes a long way," said Meg Poag, executive director of the Literacy Coalition of Central Texas.
"There are a lot of really impassioned people that can do a lot with very little. And $75, 000, that's a ton for an organization like ours," said a member of ACE: A Community of Education.
Seventy local literacy providers will benefit from Thursday's spelling bee -- all with one goal in mind: Make the literacy rate 100 percent in Central Texas.
