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A hand-painted rain barrel fetched $150 at a silent auction.
The Strathmore Municipal Library held the auction for the rain barrel on July 1 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Kinsmen Park.
Donated by Strathmore Home Hardware, the barrel was painted by local artist Dan Belanger and featured a water-themed landscape mural.
Proceeds from the auction will go towards supporting library programs.
Belanger, who has had a paintbrush in hand for the past 10 years, said art and reading are deeply connected for him.
"When I'm painting, the rest of the world is kind of gone," said Belanger. "When I see paintings, they make me smile."
However, Belanger said the creative process came more naturally to him than learning how to read and write. He hopes the rain barrel will raise awareness about illiteracy and the vital role libraries play in supporting lifelong learning.
"I went 30 years in my life not being able to read," Belanger said. "Libraries are important. Knowledge is important."
Considered by some as an "invisible epidemic", illiteracy is often hidden by stigma.
"It's a shame thing," Belanger said. "When you can't read, you don't want anybody to know, so you hide it."
According to a 2022 Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) survey, literacy is broken down into 5 levels. Level 1 is categorized as limited literacy, and Level 5 is categorized as high proficiency in literacy
According to the study, 19.3 per cent of Canadian adults score at Level 1 or below. Nearly half of adults, 49 per cent, do not meet Level 3 standards, the level associated with high‑school‑level literacy.
In Alberta, 15 per cent of adults have very low reading proficiency, with literacy scores at level 1 or lower.
Belanger said reading struggles often go unnoticed, even in school settings.
"Nobody knew until I admitted it," Belanger said. "People who haven't lost the issues doesn't mean that they're slower. A lot of times, there are learning disabilities, like dyslexia. Some of it could be emotional, mental health. There are lots of reasons why somebody falls through the cracks."
He credited government assistance for helping him turn things around.
"I got a grant from the Equations [program] in Brooks, and they paid me to go to school for two years. They gave me $1600 a month to go to school," Belanger said.
He also noted that modern-day advances have made learning more accessible.
"There are more tools today than we had 30 years ago. Technology today makes it easier," Belanger said.
He draws inspiration from artist Bob Ross, embracing the idea that there are "only happy accidents".
"You can repaint it, and life is like that. You can start over anytime and repaint it right," he said.
With that perspective, Belanger no longer sees illiteracy as a limitation, but as something he can transform, just like a canvas.
Belanger plans to continue painting and has future projects planned in partnership with the library.