Calling all trivia buffs — Drake University’s Adult Literacy Center is offering you a way to showcase your trivia knowledge and help others this Saturday at 10 a.m. in Parents Hall.
Drake’s Adult Literacy Center is hosting its second annual trivia bowl fundraiser entitled Project Q. Participants can compete by themselves or on a team of up to four individuals.
“I pushed the idea (of a trivia bowl)because I love trivia and what some people might call ‘useless facts,’” said Kerwin Dobbins, a member of the Adult Literacy Advisory Council. “We thought this would be something that appealed to several different age groups and that anyone could excel at a few subjects.”
The game borrows elements from Jeopardy and Trivial Pursuit. It is played in rounds where teams answer a number questions read to them during each round, after which they record their answers on the sheet provided. At the end of the round judges tally the correct answers. After a series of these rounds, the top team — a number to be determined depending on the number of teams entered — will compete in the final rounds for prizes.
Categories range from academic questions, such as American history, geography, and literature, to more everyday categories such a food and drink, pop culture, sports and science fiction, as well as two new categories this year, “Q things” and “Drake things.”
“Folks can get together with others with different areas and team up,” Dobbins suggests.
Dobbins explained that Project Q has an interesting story behind the name.
“I didn’t necessarily want information about the event going out before we had everything finalized, so I wanted an element of secrecy about the event,” Dobbins explained. “We were working on a ‘project,’ and I though Q was a cool letter, so I decided to go with that.”
Soon things were up and running, and the name remained the same.
Entry into the tournament is $10, all of which goes directly to the ALC.
More than 90 students enrolled at the Adult Literacy Center will benefit from the fundraiser, as well as all future students. Participants can register online, at the School of Education, or at the door.
“I would encourage people to register online or at the School of Education to assure themselves a spot,” Dobbins said.
If you’d prefer to watch, admission to the Project is one non-perishable food item to be donated to the Food Bank of Central Iowa.
“We thought we might want to accomplish more than just raising money for the ALC,” Dobbins explained.
If trivia isn’t your thing, you can still get involved with the ALC as a tutor for the program. Dobbins said that tutors received training in the Wilson Learning System, where they are then matched up with a student.
“They can also get involved by incorporating their organizations service learning or philanthropy goals into fundraising efforts dedicated to the Adult Literacy Center,” Dobbins said.
The ALC is a non-profit organization, funded from grants and donations from companies and individuals with a passion and concern for adult literacy. Drake’s ALC, which has been part of the School of Education since 1976, maintains an office, a tutoring room and receives some basic office supplies from the University. It is staffed by volunteers from Drake and from the Des Moines community.
“The goal of the Adult Literacy Center is to improve literacy, resulting in enhanced self-esteem, daily living, and life-long learning,” Dobbins said. “Utilizing volunteers, the center improves the quality of adults’ lives by helping them learn to read, write and comprehend.”
