Dear Friend,
On a sweltering June morning, Literacy Volunteers tutors came together for our annual day of professional development. There, volunteers spent the day deepening their understanding of how they could support their students both in and outside of tutoring sessions. One such session was from Virginia Career Works' One Stop Manager, Brookes Sims, who spoke about how tutors could connect students to career services.
For LVCA tutor, Pat, the session connected deeply with his student's needs. Pat knew that his student, D.O., was looking to broaden his career opportunities. After the conference, Pat went with his student, D.O., to Virginia Career Works. There, D.O. started a class, got help with his resume, and practiced interview skills.
With Pat’s help, they organized work-related documents and opened a bank account, all while continuing their English lessons.
"Actually going to the bank [together] made a big difference," Pat said. "The person was talking so fast."
“It was important for me to have Mr. Pat beside me each step,” D.O. said. By the end of the month, he started a new job.
“He’s a remarkable young man,” Pat said. “He's so polite, so hardworking. He's always on time. He always does his homework, and now he stays awake, even though he worked all night.”
At Literacy Volunteers, we believe that literacy empowerment goes beyond our tutoring sessions. Unlocking literacy opens doors to opportunities. Our partnerships with organizations such as Virginia Career Works help connect these opportunities to our students. “The foundation for career success is literacy,” says Brookes Sims. “The collaboration and partnership we have will help ensure that job seekers not only have access to diploma opportunities on [VCW’s] end, but it is also critical that [people] have the reading and writing communication skills that they need to thrive in today’s workforce.”
We witness the power of collaboration every day at Literacy Volunteers. Our tutors and students work together to achieve their goals. We work with our partner organizations to find support for our clients. Dr. Jane Goodall once said that hope "is what we desire to happen, but we must be prepared to work hard to make it so." Every day, we see the power of hope magnified when we work together.
In just one month, D.O. refined a resume, entered job training, obtained a job, and opened a bank account. As his English improves, he finds every opportunity he can. His tutor, Pat, could not be prouder. "It’s just an incredible opportunity to be working side-by-side, one-on-one with someone that is achieving so many things."
Your support helps students like D.O. From now until Giving Tuesday on December 2, Literacy Volunteers is hoping to raise $3,000. This amount of money will support two students for an entire year. Please consider giving today.
