YELL'S AIM IS TO CURE ILLTERACY IN REGION

Right: Sherry Thomas, left, of Oak Ridge bought a YELL newspaper from Steve Nenninger, a Jackson Rotary Club member, last year outside Schaper's IGA in Jackson.

Unlike other diseases and illnesses, there aren't too many warning signs for illiteracy.

"It's so difficult to come up with figures on literacy because people who can't read don't want you to know," said Kim McDowell, a YELL coordinator. YELL is an acronym for Youth Education Literacy and Learning.

It is difficult to track illiteracy rates in the region, but Southeast Missouri has a high illiteracy rate.

However, there is a local solution. YELL for Newspapers is a community campaign designed to fight illiteracy in Cape Girardeau, Jackson and Scott City.

The campaign began six years ago as a joint effort of the Area Wide United Way and the Southeast Missourian. Community volunteers began "hawking" the newspapers for $2 on street corners at 6:30 a.m. today.

"It sells itself," said Craig Felzien, a past United Way board president. Felzien initiated the first YELL campaign after seeing similar programs at work in Kansas City and St. Louis.

The proceeds from the newspaper sales will help fund literacy and education programs in Southeast Missouri. The money will be distributed between the United Way literacy grant programs and the Newspapers In Education program.

"It has raised the awareness of the importance of reading and literacy skills," McDowell said. "We are making people aware that this community stands behind literacy."

More than 10,000 copies of the special YELL editions were sold last year, and the project raised $35,000 with street sales and advertising combined.