In partnership with the Southside Christmas Parents, the Charlotte Adult Learning Center, with help from First Book, donated 589 new books to children in the community. One in five adults in Southside Virginia is functionally illiterate, according to the center. Encouraging a love of reading at an early age is a way to reduce this statistic, the center stated. Volunteer tutors at the the Charlotte Adult Learning Center teach adults to read. Call (434) 542-5782 for more information. Pictured are volunteers, from left, Corey Nelson, Kenneth Butler, Virginia G. Dailey, Vannessa Scott, Mora da Silva, Shannon Roark and Linda Wallace.