Literacy, says state Rep. Will Weatherford, "is not a luxury. It's a necessity."

"Literacy is crucial to our success in life," Weatherford told those gathered Wednesday for The American Dream Literacy Congress. The TAD Congress 2009 - the eighth annual community conference in which business, government, social and school leaders discuss pertinent social issues facing Pasco County residents - took place at Barnes and Noble in The Shops at Wiregrass.

In his TAD speech, Weatherford revealed that 82 percent of prison inmates serving terms of one year or more are illiterate or read at lower than a fourth-grade level. Furthermore, says TAD speaker and speech pathologist Brenda Cutwright, a representative of the Premier Community Health Reach Out and Read program, 46 percent of children labeled "poor readers" in kindergarten do not graduate from high school.

The implications of illiteracy are intensified by the widespread nature of the problem. In the United States, 40 percent of people are unable to read a newspaper, Cutwright said. Twenty-five percent are unable to complete a job application.

And, said Pat Bauer, literacy director for Rotary Club District 695, which co-sponsored this year's TAD Congress, nearly 800 million people worldwide older than 15 can neither read nor write.

"What we need to do is take advantage of the wonderful opportunities we have to solve this problem," Bauer said.

Finding solutions was the objective of this year's congress, organizer Bob Loring said.

"This congress is designed to bring together people to network and share skills," said Loring, executive director of East Pasco Toys for Tots, "to bring us together to face major issues facing our community and our children."

Bauer said Rotary is doing its part to combat illiteracy, both locally and globally, by building schools, donating books and dictionaries for students, and by providing tutoring for children and adults.

"Rotary promotes literacy worldwide," she said.

Reach Out and Read, a program discussed by Premier Community Health professionals Cutwright and Susan Hutson, makes free books available at local pediatricians' offices to prompt early development of literacy skills.

Reaching kids early is essential, said Karen Correa, youth services coordinator for the Pasco County Library System.

"At the library we encourage a love of books and stories, and we introduce early literacy skills," Correa said. "Early literacy is what children know about reading and writing before they actually read and write."

Even infants, Correa noted, like to look at books. That's why the library system hosts baby, toddler and preschool story times, along with reading clubs for kids and teens, Internet-based informational programs and gaming events.

Literacy in Pasco schools was addressed by Rachel Powers, superintendent of reading and language arts for the Pasco County School District. Beyond teaching the basics of reading, today's educators are challenged to verse students in the multimedia world of digital literacy, Powers said.

"We ask you to help us help our children to participate in the community, which has a new literacy demand," Powers said. "This stretches beyond the printed page."

At one point, Powers said, literacy equaled the ability to sign one's name. Now it means the ability to communicate digitally, through the Internet, text messaging and other digital media.

Barnes and Noble representatives Karen Dietz and Cynthia Mason discussed the commitment of their store to encourage literacy in the community, by hosting book drives, story times and other programs.

The conference concluded with a panel discussion featuring veteran journalists such as The Pasco Tribune columnist Tom Jackson; Gary Hatrick, Literacy and the Media; Janet Watson, Focus Magazine; and David West, past district governor of the Rotary Club.

West emphasized the importance of literacy in the life of every child.

"The most critical skill a child is ever going to learn is literacy," he said. "If you learn to read well, a lot of doors will open for you. Reading makes you free."