A local group which has helped adults reach their reading goals hopes to continue supporting the efforts of people who strive toward higher education, the group’s leader told Decatur County commissioners Tuesday evening.

Debbie McIntyre, director of the Decatur County Certified Literate Community Program, said her group hopes to build upon its recent success of meeting the 10-year goal it set in 1999. The group reached its goal by helping 3,706 Decatur County citizens improve their literacy—some by a little, some by a lot. Recent years have seen increased interest in adults seeking their General Educational Development diploma, or GED. A GED is equivalent to earning a high school degree and can unlock a number of benefits, including access to college or technical school, scholarships and better employment opportunities.

McIntyre said Decatur County and 13 other Southwest Georgia counties it is partnered with hope to continue literacy fundraising. About one-fifth of money the counties raised last year for literacy went to help adults study for, pay for and pass their GED tests, McIntyre said.