By Morgan Bryce
Staff Reporter
The 14th annual Great Grown-Up Spelling Bee will be held Aug. 10 at the Auburn University Alumni Center, beginning at 5 p.m.
Sponsored by the Lee County Literacy Coalition, the event will feature teams from local businesses, schools and the cities of Opelika and Auburn challenging each other in speed-spelling competitions.
Judges for this year’s spelling bee are Opelika Mayor Gary Fuller, Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones and WTVM’s East Alabama Bureau Chief Elizabeth White. Auburn football announcer Rod Bramblett will be the word pronouncer.
An audience spelling bee will take place during intermission, with volunteers from Auburn University’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute serving as judges.
Jim ‘N Nick’s will cater an open-barbecue bar, and door prizes will be given away throughout the event.
The Great Grown-Up Spelling Bee serves as a fundraising event for the LCLC, which is dedicated to ending illiteracy in the community. LCLC’s Administrative Director Stacie Money said the relevance of her organization is more important than ever, and that this event helps provide a huge boost to their funding.
“Right now, the statistics show that around 13-14 percent of people anywhere, any community are functionally illiterate or completely illiterate. That means that they have a really hard time functioning in society, getting the jobs that they would need to help them provide for their families,” Money said. “What we do is offer GED prep, one-to-one tutoring … free help for these people that come in and need assistance. For us to be able to continue offering these programs, this (the spelling bee) is a way to get the word out about what we do and try to reach the community.”
Team slots are already filled, but audience tickets are still available for $40, which includes tickets, food and eligibility for door prizes. For more information, visit the Great Grown-Up Spelling Bee’s Facebook page. The Auburn University Alumni Center is located at 317 S. College St.