LVGW Quarterly Newsletter | |
Provides social and economic empowerment through culturally compassionate English language education. | |
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Meet our new Board member, Anyeliny Lamptey!
Anyeliny was born in San Francisco de Macorís, in the Dominican Republic. Originally from Lawrence, MA, she has called Worcester her home for the last 8 years. Anyeliny is currently a Senior Community Relations Representative at Point32 Health. She graduated from Saint Michael's College in Colchester VT in 2014 with a BA Degree in Political Science. She recently joined the LVGW Board of Directors with the hopes of using her passion for social justice and community building to help advance the mission of our organization.
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Welcome LVGW's newest teacher, Nick Duffy!
Nicholas Kurt Duffy was born in Worcester and spent his twenties travelling and teaching ESL in countries like Laos and Chile after obtaining his MSc in Intellectual History from the University of Edinburgh. Now a professor of English at Worcester State University, he is motivated to improve as a teacher after every new class of students. In his spare time, he likes to hang out with his cat, read books, and make art that he publishes through his imprint, Nicholas the Poodle Books.
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Hooray Tori!
Tori Buerschaper, made the list! Worcester Business Journal 40 Under Forty Class of 2024. Tori is President of LVGW's Board of Directors and also runs Community Harvest Project (Grafton, MA), a non-profit farm that engages and educates volunteers to grow fresh fruits and vegetables for hunger relief. We are very excited to celebrate with you Tori! (Read Tori's profile.)
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Fall Semester Registration For ESOL
Fall 2024: ESOL Classes will run from Sept. 30 to Dec. 6 (10 weeks)
Classes are FREE and registration is required.
IN-PERSON REGISTRATION
Sept. 9–Sept. 26.
Locations and hours:
90 Madison St. RM 303a
M – Th 9 am -12 pm
3 Salem St. RM 332
(Worcester Public Library)
M – Th 12 pm – 5 pm
Staff will register you and show you how to access WhatsApp, email & Zoom on your cell phone. Please bring your cell phone and know all of your passwords. (If you have not added your name on the fall semester waitlist, please do so before the registration.)
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LVGW
Annual Meeting
Weds. Oct. 16th 2024
Worcester Public Library
Saxe Room 6-7:30pm
Celebrate with LVGW at our
Annual Meeting.
RSVP Now!
Over the last 50 years, we have served over 12,500 adult learners from 120 different countries.
Our work is possible because of our dedicated volunteers, talented teachers and generous funders. LVGW is committed to enriching the Worcester area by building a more literate, culturally informed and economically
self-sufficient population.
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Mark your calendar!
More learning opportunities
PRONUNCIATION WORKSHOPS
Pronunciation Practice
for Everyday Speech
with Ilka
2nd & 4th Friday
8:30am-9:30am
American English Pronunciation with Ashley 2nd & 4th Friday
11:30am-1:00pm
Sign up for Pronunciation Workshops.
WORKFORCE READINESS WORKSHOPS
See detailed schedule below in this newsletter.
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For Tutors & Teachers
Sat. Sept. 14th, 9:30-11:30a
Professors Ilka (Northeastern Univ.) and Hossam (Framingham State Univ.) will show you the fundamentals of MagicSchool AI, ChatGPT and Pi.
Learn how to save time on lesson planning and find the resources you really need! Some of the topics they'll cover include how you can develop comprehensive, level readings, and create interactive activities for students.
Sign up here:
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Info Session
Thurs. Sept. 5th 6:30p-7:30p
LVGW provides FREE 18-hour training for volunteers interested in tutoring adult English language learners.
In-person and online trainings for English tutors are available in September and October 2024.
Attend this information session to learn more about our tutor training opportunities.
Sign up here:
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Volunteer Fair
Sat. Sept. 21st 10-12p
Worcester Public Library
If you’ve ever considered volunteering in the area but didn’t know where to start, visit the WPL Volunteer Fair! Your community needs you! Whether you enjoy working with books, assisting people in crisis, or being a mentor, representatives from local organizations will be available to discuss volunteer opportunities for all interests and backgrounds, especially for those aged 16 and older.
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Workforce Readiness Workshops & Assistance | | |
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Education & Skills for Financial Security!
To prepare our students for securing employment and/or educational opportunities, LVGW has started to integrate workforce readiness training into its ESOL program through partnerships with MassHire, QCC, Worcester Jobs Fund, the City, Leominster Credit Union, and the Worcester Public Library.
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FREE English Resources & Social Services | |
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Find an English Class!
If you want to take classes in person, click here. For help finding a class that is right for you, email esolnavigator@gmail.com or kduncan@mywpl.org, or meet with the ESOL Navigator at the Worcester Main Library on Mondays or Tuesdays, 1-4pm or Fridays, 10-12.
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ELLII Is Back!
We are excited to announce LVGW tutors & teachers can once again access the materials they need to build student-centered lessons.
Please contact program manager for details: AAndrews@lvgw.org
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Helping Hands
Don't forget, the Worcester Public Library is a good source of information for many community services ranging from mental health to food insecurity. The WPL has also hired a social worker with regular office hours to assist patrons. No appointment needed!
Check it out!
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Congratulations, Jennifer!
We are excited to announce one of our top students has been accepted to Suffolk University Law School's Master of Law program for the Fall semester of 2024. Jennifer is originally from the Dominican Republic where she also worked in law. Suffolk has awarded Jennifer a $25,000 scholarship towards her studies. We're so proud of you!
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Congratulations, new citizens!
100% of students from 2023 summer's class passed their test, and twelve LVGW students have become US citizens in the last year. We're so proud of you all!
Featured on the right is student Aboubacar from Mali
who just became a U.S. Citizen this past July.
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CELEBRATE THE POWER OF LITERACY! | |
International Literacy Day
Celebrate Literacy!
Literacy is a right and empowers people. It opens doors to the enjoyment of other human rights and greater freedoms. Literacy is a foundation on which people can acquire broader knowledge, skills, values and, attitudes and behaviors to foster a culture of sustainability and lasting peace, based on respect for equality and non-discrimination, the rule of law, solidarity, justice, diversity, and tolerance and to build harmonious relations with oneself, other people and the planet.
More info can be found here!
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Literacy Volunteers of Greater Worcester would like to express our sincere condolences to Proliteracy and the family of Ruth J. Colvin.
"It is with sadness that we announce our co-founder, Ruth J. Colvin, passed away on Sunday, August 18, at the age of 107. Like so many of you, we were inspired every day by Ruth and her unwavering dedication to the adult literacy cause."
Mark Vineis, ProLiteracy President and CEO
Ginger Duiven, ProLiteracy Board of Directors Chair
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"Ruth Johnson Colvin Dies at 107; Helped Teach the World to Read."
The New York Times
wrote an article on Ruth...
"Working out of her basement, and with no teaching experience, she created a nonprofit that helped people around the world learn to read. Ruth Johnson Colvin, who founded what became one of the world's largest organizations of volunteers tutoring basic language skills to functionally illiterate peoples in America and other lands, opening doors to citizenship and better lives, died on Sunday at her home in Syracuse, N.Y. She was 107. The death was confirmed her daughter, Lindy Webb.
In 1961, Ms. Colvin, a middle-aged, college-educated Syracuse homemaker and mother of two, was appalled to discover that the recent census had counted 11,055 residents of Onondaga County, N.Y., who could not read or write. She had no experience teaching, but felt passionately that she had to do something about it."
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We are so grateful to the corporations, foundations, and individuals who continue to fund our mission of providing English language literacy skills to the Greater Worcester community.
Thank you for your support!
See the complete list of our donors.
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Here are a few generous grant awards we recently received. | |
We are extremely grateful to have been part of their final grant making decisions.
$10,000 Grant from the Mifflin Memorial Fund!
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$4,000 Grant from Robert Treat Paine! | | |
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Literacy Volunteers of Greater Worcester (LVGW) is an affiliate
of Literacy Volunteers of Massachusetts.
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Literacy Volunteers of
Greater Worcester
3 Salem Square, Suite 332
Worcester, MA 01608
info@lvgw.org | 508-754-8056
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