Just about anyone who’s actually reading this newspaper would recognize the importance of the ability to read in modern society. But simply being able to keep up with current events through the newspaper is only a small part of what makes reading so important. From being able to follow a recipe to reading a map to understanding the instruction manual of one’s car, reading is a vital skill that makes life more livable.

It’s surprising, then, that one in six adults in Suffolk reads below a fifth-grade level. That statistic comes from Jessica Reitz, tutor coordinator for the Suffolk Literacy Council, an organization founded on a desire to stamp out illiteracy in the city.

The organization was honored recently, by extension, through an award given by the Pilot Club of Suffolk to Louise Ross, who has been tutoring reading students here for a couple of years since her retirement as a teacher and a nurse.

Ross was named the Pilot Club’s Tutor of the Year for her work to help adults learn to read. She currently works with three students, devoting much of her free time to the literacy council’s efforts.

Ross could have spent her retirement engaged in any number of things that most retirees look forward to doing when they put their careers behind them. But she described her work as a reading tutor as “a calling,” and it’s one that has changed the lives of her students.

With such a high percentage of adults in Suffolk who are unable to read — or who struggle because of low reading ability — there is always room for another Louise Ross. If you’re reading this newspaper, you probably have the skills to do this work, and you, like her, could change someone’s life.

To learn how you can help, or for more information on the literacy council, call 514-7733 or visit www.learn2readsuffolk.org.