Delaware
County Literacy Council (DCLC) is seeking volunteers to become literacy tutors
to local adults. Free tutor training will be offered this fall in the areas of
reading, math, and English as a Second Language (ESL), and currently there are
nearly 50 adults waiting for tutors.
Volunteer
tutors generously share their time and talents with another adult, meeting
twice a week at the Literacy Council or at local libraries throughout Delaware
County.
The
rewarding experience of helping an adult improve his or her reading, writing,
speaking, or math skills was the theme conveyed by the speakers at a recent DCLC
appreciation event.
(Peg DeGrassa) |
At the Literacy
Council’s Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon this spring, guest speaker Peg
DeGrassa, managing editor of the Town
Talk newspaper, called volunteers “Delco’s heartbeat.”
She praised
the literacy volunteers at the event for their hard work, saying, “You
selflessly give others a gift that can literally be life-changing and keep on
giving long after the tutoring and your work as a volunteer are done. It seems
volunteers really are the heartbeat of Delco—what sets it apart.”
The work of literacy
volunteers also was highlighted by the two student speakers at the event.
(Ziba Salehi) |
ESL student Ziba
Salehi of Broomall explained how difficult life can be for adults who don’t
know English. “At first when I came to
the United States it was hard, and I did not have confidence in myself. Because
of language problems, I could not communicate with others on my own.”
She then described DCLC’s free services and expressed gratitude for the
efforts of her volunteer ESL tutor, Pattie Evans of Wallingford. “We meet two
days a week, for about two hours each night, at a local library. At first, we
studied basic vocabulary using a picture dictionary. Now we spend most of our
time focusing on conversation and everyday language. Pattie is a good teacher
because she is kind, warm and especially patient. With Pattie’s help, I was
able to pass my citizenship test with a perfect score and I became a U.S.
citizen last year.”
Kimberly
Robinson, an Adult Basic Education student from Lansdowne, also shared a
heartfelt story with the volunteers at the event. She told the group, “When I
was 18 years old I had a subarachnoid hemorrhage on my brain that left me
unable to read, write or even walk well. As a result of the hemorrhage, there
were some lasting side effects that sometimes slowed me down and made me feel
less encouraged.”
She
explained that she came to the Literacy Council eight years later to pursue her
General Equivalency Diploma (GED). After a great deal of struggle and effort,
Kimberly earned her GED and now attends Delaware County Community College. She applauded
the volunteers for their help. “I will never be exactly the same as I was
before the hemorrhage, but I feel like I have part of my life back. It is
because of the generosity of volunteers like you that I can say this.”
Established
in 1975, DCLC offers literacy instruction
free of charge to adults with low literacy levels and to immigrant adults
seeking to learn English. Over 15,000 adults have been served by DCLC since its
founding. For these adults, basic literacy is the first step toward exercising
more control over their own lives.
DCLC utilizes
volunteers to provide free one-on-one and small-group instruction. Free tutor training
for new volunteers is held throughout the year. Training for volunteer math
tutors will be held September 15 and 22; and training for volunteer reading
tutors and volunteer ESL tutors will be held October 2, 4, 9, and 11. Pre-registration
is required. To learn more, visit www.delcoliteracy.org
or contact Susan at 610-876-4811.
Contact
Susan Keller, 610-876-4811, skeller@delcoliteracy.org.