Gift of knowledge—Literacy volunteers teach adults to read

Veronica Rodriguez came to the United States six years ago from El Salvador. An ambitious and hard-working young woman who passed her GED (General Education Diploma) test on the first try, Veronica currently works as a cook at Cheeseburger in Paradise in Woodbridge. Recently she began tutoring sessions with Lake Ridge resident DeDe (Denise) Hardway, a shiny new volunteer with Literacy Volunteers Prince William (LVA-PW).

“I want to improve myself and communicate well, go to college and get a career,” said Rodriguez, who plans to become a medical assistant. The 25-year-old, who lives with her sister in Dale City, and Hardaway, have met three times since their initial meeting in December. Hardway was insecure at first about working with her new pupil.

“I thought [as a new tutor] that I couldn’t do ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages), but when I read Veronica’s story in the information provided by LVA, I felt a connection. Then, when I met her, she said ‘you speak English and that’s good enough for me,’” Hardaway said. “Now I have a new friend.”

Rodriguez’s short-term goal, Hardaway said, is improving her computer skills, a task they’ve undertaken on the computers at the Literacy Volunteers office in Dale City.
“Our trainers [at the training session Hardway attended in December], kept saying ‘you’ll get more out of it than you put in’ and I already feel that’s true,” Hardaway said.

Literacy Volunteers Prince William celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2011. It began when a patron at a county library approached Nokesville librarian Dona Swanson and asked her to teach him to read. After several refusals, Swanson finally said “yes” and Literacy Volunteers was born. Twenty years later, the organization’s newsletter reported, “This single act of kindness has developed into an organization of some 353 volunteers who donated 15,293 volunteer hours to teach 608 Prince William County adults in FY11 alone.”

Kim Sells, executive director of LVA Prince William, became the first paid (part-time) director of the organization after working with GED programs in Ohio and Prince William County. Sells supports the idea that volunteers with the organization get more than they give.

“There is such a need and our clients are so appreciative,” she said. “One woman shared that because she could now help her children with their homework, they were now on the honor roll. Another gentleman refused permission for his tutor to call him at home. After the holidays, he said, ‘you can call me now. Learning to read was a Christmas present I gave to my daughter who is a college graduate.’”

The need for volunteers continues to grow and training sessions are offered approximately every other month. Donations are also gratefully accepted. According to another new tutor, Stephanie Tipple, a college student and community activist, “I signed up to become a literary volunteer to pass on the joy I have when reading and writing, to others in the community. I feel that the organization really cares and so far I’ve had a great experience. My pupil is great and not only is she learning - but I am too!”

Literacy Volunteers Prince William is located at 4326 Dale Boulevard, suite 2, in Dale City. For more information on becoming a tutor, or to obtain tutoring services, call the LVA-PW office at 703-670-5702, e-mail .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), or visit the website at http://www.lvapw.org to download and complete a registration form.