Literacy Volunteers of America, Essex & Passaic Counties, NJ Inc.

September 2024

Volume 12, Issue 9

The Insider

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The Insider, the monthly newsletter of LVA Essex & Passaic Counties, will keep you in the loop on all the organization’s upcoming events.

Join us for the LVA Annual Awards Ceremony

Date: Wednesday, October 23, 2024
Time: 6:00-7:30 pm
Location: Bloomfield High School
160 Broad Street, Auditorium, Bloomfield, NJ 07003

Literacy Volunteers of America Essex & Passaic Counties

90 Broad Street, 2nd Floor, Bloomfield, NJ 07003
(973) 566-6200, ext. 217 or 225

195 Gregory Avenue, 2nd Floor, Passaic, NJ 07055
(973) 470-0039

Cristhian Barcelos        -Executive Director
                                           [email protected]
Jorge Chavez                 -Data Processing Coordinator
                                           [email protected]
Sydnay Eckerling         -Education Coordinator
                                           [email protected]
Valeria Garrido             -Social Media & Newsletter Coordinator
                                           [email protected]
Cheryl Locastro            -Tutor Support Specialist & ESOL Instructor
                                           [email protected]
Marisol Ramirez           -Student Coordinator
                                           [email protected]

Greetings LVA family!

While we normally dedicate the introduction to The Insider to letting you know what you will find in this issue, in this newsletter, we wanted take a moment to honor and celebrate the extraordinary life of Ruth Colvin, the founder of Literacy Volunteers of America.

Ruth Colvin, who passed away at the remarkable age of 107, dedicated her life to eradicating illiteracy and improving the lives of millions. Her legacy began in Syracuse, New York, where she recognized a critical gap in adult literacy education, and from that observation, she built a national movement.

Ruth’s passion for learning and tireless efforts in empowering others earned her a Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States. Through LVA, now ProLiteracy, she created an army of volunteers who have touched countless lives across the country, bringing the gift of literacy to those who might otherwise have remained in the shadows.

Reflecting on her life, we are reminded of her mantra: “Keep on learning.” Ruth believed that education is a lifelong journey, and her pioneering spirit continues to inspire our mission at LVA. Today, as we carry forward the work she began, we strive to uphold her vision of a more literate, empowered, and connected society. Join us in remembering Ruth Colvin’s unparalleled contribution to literacy and continuing her mission to help everyone unlock the power of reading, writing, and learning.

Be sure to read on as we continue Ruth’s steady work and celebrate our volunteer tutors, without whom we could not make this happen, our dedicated team and board members, and the courageous adult students working hard every day to progress in their literacy journey.

In Ruth’s memory, let us recommit to the cause of literacy and embrace her belief that education is the key to a brighter future for all. We continue to create stories of hope, learning, and success.

In the News

"Digital Literacy Presents Adult Education With Unique Struggle" Government Technology. https://bit.ly/3ZUTFvB

Rethinking Literacy For A Complex World" Journee Mondiale. https://bit.ly/3yVMbNE

Herard has not been in the United States for long, having arrived in October of last year from Haiti. But thanks to his hard work and education in Haiti, he had a head start in English. However, he knew that in order to make steady progress he needed additional support.

Tutor Training Workshops

Online Training, by TBD
Platform: Zoom (sponsored by LNJ)
Tuesdays, 6 to 8 pm
Sept. 10, 17, 24, Oct. 1, & 8, 2024

Online Training, by TBD
Platform: Zoom (sponsored by LNJ)
Mondays & Wednesdays, 6 to 8 pm
Oct. 7 & 9, 16, 21, & 23, 2024

Online Training, by TBD
Platform: Zoom (sponsored by LNJ)
Tuesdays, 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.
Oct. 8, 15, 22, 29, & Nov. 5, 2024

Tutor Support Workshops

"Tips & Tricks: Writing Skills I," with Dr. Barbara Trueger
Platform: Google Meet
Tuesday, October 22, 2024, 11 am - 12:30 pm

"Tutoring in a Cross-Cultural Setting,"with Doug Allen
Platform: Google Meet
Wednesday, November 20, 2024, 7 pm – 8:30 pm

Coffee Hour with Tutors
with Cheryl Locastro

Thursday, December 12, 2024, at 3pm (Themed online meeting)

http://www.lvaep.org/workshops.html

Getting to Know Us
Herard, LVA student
by Valeria Garrido

Herard, originally from Haiti, arrived in the United States in October of last year. His journey was straightforward—boarding a plane from his country’s capital—but the challenges awaiting him were more difficult than he could have imagined.

Upon arrival, he knew that learning English would be essential for him to navigate life in his new home. With the help of his aunt and uncle, Herard discovered Literacy Volunteers of America (LVA) through a local library, where he began his journey toward mastering the English language.

Education had always been important to Herard. In Haiti, he graduated from high school and completed a year of college, where he was studying medicine. Upon arriving in the U.S., learning English became his top priority. He had started learning English back in middle school and continued through high school and into his first year of college, even taking summer classes at the American University of the Caribbean.

Despite this foundation, he knew there was much more to learn. Over the past year, with the support of LVA, Herard has seen his skills improve significantly, particularly in vocabulary and pronunciation. Yet, he is determined to go even further, especially as he dreams of working in the medical field, his true passion.

One of Herard’s favorite books is Gouverneur de la Rosée, a Haitian novel with a powerful message about perseverance. The story inspires Herard to remain determined, even when facing the toughest challenges. This lesson helped him through one of his own major obstacles—changing schools during his final year of high school. Adapting to a new environment at such a critical time was difficult, but Herard overcame it through hard work and determination. His success at his new school gave him confidence that he could handle future challenges.

His journey with LVA has been transformative. His tutors have played a key role, working with him on speaking, listening, reading, and writing. They helped him overcome his fear of making mistakes, a hurdle that once held him back from fully engaging with others. One of the most unforgettable moments in his English-learning journey was when he realized he was no longer afraid to speak. He gained the confidence to express his thoughts through consistent practice and support, even when errors were inevitable.

For others learning English, Herard offers simple advice: “Keep going.” His ultimate goal is to continue his education and become a surgeon, a dream he is determined to achieve step by step.

Literacy opens a wide door to life. Help us keep that door open with your donation!

Thanks in large part to you, we can aid hundreds of students each year. Please continue your efforts to improve the lives of others by giving the gift of literacy.

http://www.lvaep.org/donate.html

Adult Education and Family Literacy Week Uplift Success Nationwide

Written by COABE
September 16, 2024

The Coalition on Adult Basic Education (COABE) during National Adult Education and Family Literacy Week, which is commemorated annually and passed by congressional resolution. The week brings the field of 82,000 adult educators and millions of learners together to highlight successes as it calls on federal, state, and local lawmakers to increase funding for the more than 2,380 local programs that services to millions of adult learners nationwide.

Adult education continues to help learners break barriers and change the trajectory of their lives. According to the National Reporting System, 73% of learners that entered programs with the stated goal of achieving their high school equivalency, such as the GED, obtained that goal.

Adult education provides equity as 78 percent of adult education student are people of color, and adult learners typically check at least one of the following: aged out of foster care, former offenders, single parents, migrant and seasonal workers, those exhausting TANF, legal immigrants, individuals with disabilities, and high school non-completers. Many adult education learners enter the local program in search of reading, writing, math, technical, digital and workforce readiness skills that will put them on the path to a better-paying job or help them gain entrance to a community college. Some also express the desire to read to their children or to be able to help their children with their homework. Adult education programs offer training in foundational digital skills, which are increasingly required in today's workplace but lacking in nearly 1 in 3 workers in the U.S., according to a recent study conducted by the National Skills Coalition.

National Adult Education and Family Literacy Week began Sunday and runs through Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. The week includes a variety of activities designed to raise the visibility of work in the adult education field and to celebrate the successes.

Specifically, COABE is urging Federal lawmakers to increase funding for the Adult Education State Grants program to $810 million for fiscal year 2025 and to incorporate the rest of COABE’s priorities in a final WIOA reauthorization bill.

For the full story please copy and paste this link on your browser: https://bit.ly/4gG80Ss

Student Resources

Learning a new culture is more than studying a language. Tutoring is more than learning techniques. Our “Resources” webpage covers everything from legal matters, health care, & scholarships for immigrants, to professional development for tutors. Give us a look @: http://www.lvaep.org/students.html

Getting to Know Us
Wendy-Gilbert-Simon, LVA Tutor
by Valeria Garrido

Wendy, a passionate volunteer tutor with Literacy Volunteers of America (LVA), brings a wealth of international experience to her role teaching English as a Second Language (ESL). After retiring from Montclair State University, where she worked with international students, Wendy
found herself drawn to LVA in the summer of 2023.
Teaching English felt like a “natural progression” after years spent helping exchange students and honing her own language skills, including time spent teaching and studying in Japan for three years.

Since September 2023, Wendy has been working with two dedicated students—one for over a year and the other for about six months. Her impact is already visible: one former student from Haiti is pursuing a medical technician program, while another has successfully opened her own restaurant.

Wendy’s students come from diverse cultural backgrounds, and she finds joy in helping them overcome language barriers. One student, who writes beautiful essays in English despite French being his first language, stands out. Another, the restaurant owner, even helped Wendy search for a long-lost friend from her time in Japan. “It was very sweet of her to try and find this old friend of mine,” Wendy recalls fondly.

One memorable teaching moment came when Wendy helped a Spanish-speaking student overcome the habit of adding an “eh” sound in front of words starting with "S." Small but meaningful victories like this have left a lasting impression on Wendy, who cherishes the connections she makes with her students.

Though teaching comes with challenges, especially as her students come from different language backgrounds and have varying levels of proficiency, Wendy finds these differences rewarding. Her students’ determination and resilience inspire her, as they navigate language and cultural hurdles.

Outside of tutoring, Wendy enjoys playing Renaissance music in a community band, a hobby she picked up after a lifelong passion for dance. She even had one of her students attend a concert, further cementing the strong bonds she forms with her learners.

Wendy’s dedication to both teaching and learning makes her an invaluable part of the LVA community.