When COVID-19 hit and we pivoted to all virtual platforms, one of our students said to their instructor, “You light our path of darkness.” Amid so much uncertainty and unanticipated change, this expression fueled our collective commitment to continue delivering the best programming we could in service to our dedicated and ambitious learners. On September 1^st, LCNV proudly gathered for our 59^th Annual Recognition Ceremony to celebrate our learners from the past year who have inspired us with their focus and determination. We heard student essays on the theme for the year, “Learning Lights My Path Forward” and as always, we were honored to have the chance to recognize our incredible instructors and thank our dedicated volunteers, donors, and board members at this year’s first in-person gathering at the James Lee Community Center in over a year. We are so thankful to everyone in the community who has helped us become the organization we are today.

Over the summer, staff worked tirelessly along with our community partners, instructors, and volunteers to organize and offer 12 in-person classes and 10 online classes as well as free supplemental tutoring to over 500 adult learners. Classes have started both online and in-person for the fall and we have been thrilled to finally see our learners and instructors back in our classrooms for a new semester, physically and virtually. Read the full letter...

Since the spring of 2020, The Literacy Council of Northern Virginia and Alexandria Restaurant Partners (ARP) have worked closely together to design a unique Destination Workforce® class for their non-native English-speaking employees to learn how to read, write and speak in English so they can improve their chances of advancing their careers and confidence as well as their ability to communicate more comfortably with management and other employees. The class, which includes 8 different employees from ARP’s restaurants, has been meeting twice a week with LCNV instructor Laurie Hayden at Mia’s Italian Kitchen in Old Town, Alexandria since August to practice reading, writing, and speaking in English using vocabulary curated to their specific job and work environment. The employees in the class have various back-of-house positions, ranging from sous chef to line cook. In class, Laurie reviews commonly used English vocabulary words and phrases used in the kitchen, like the names of utensils and tools, as well as descriptions of food, ingredient names, and measurements. We are proud of the work these learners have accomplished over the past three months and for their determination to improve their lives and thrilled to have had the chance to work alongside ARP to develop their workforce by upskilling their employees. Read more...

· Help us meet our match and double your impact! A generous donor will provide up to $15,000 to match increased and first-time donations (up to $2,000 each). Visit www.lcnv.org/donate and support English language learners today!

· You may qualify for a tax credit in the state of Virginia through the Virginia Department of Education’s Neighborhood Assistance Program (NAP). Individuals or married couples who donate a minimum of $500 to LCNV in the form of cash or marketable securities during the tax year will receive a tax credit of 65 percent of their donation on their Virginia State Taxes. Businesses and trusts who donate a minimum of $616 are also eligible. Find out more at https://lcnv.org/nap/.

· Support LCNV by making your purchases through AmazonSmile. Go to smile.amazon.com and use your same Amazon.com login. Select the Literacy Council of Northern Virginia to ensure that 0.5% of all eligible purchases that you make goes to LCNV.

· If you are required to take a minimum distribution from your IRA, consult your tax professional about making a Qualified Charitable Distribution, which can reduce your taxable income.

· Does your employer participate in the Combined Federal Campaign? Give to LCNV through the CFC with designation code 28828.

· State employees can give through the Commonwealth of Virginia Campaign with designation code 201310.

At LCNV, we know that providing quality adult education, workforce development, and family literacy programs requires being constantly on the lookout for the best resources to support learners, families, and instructors. Some new resources we would like to highlight are a multilingual resource hub for Afghan newcomers, free access to online trainings, and multilingual videos on digital literacy. The learner resources we would like to share are a new multilingual resource hub for Afghan newcomers, free access to online trainings, and multilingual videos on digital literacy. The instructors that we have spotlighted touch on effective practices for teaching and tutoring remotely and in person as well as webinars to learn more about Afghan newcomers and trauma-informed teaching practices.

At the start of the pandemic, LCNV began heavily promoting USA Learns as an option for learners. It continues to be a high-quality offering – now made even better with this recent mobile optimization. Please join us in spreading the word. Course descriptions and sign-up instructions are on our website - https://lcnv.org/usa-learns/.

To learn more about the updates to USA Learns, read this blog post by the USA Learns Director or sign-up and attend the EdTech Center at World Education’s November 12^th webinar.