Greetings,

What a year it’s been! It’s hard to believe the fall semester is over and we are approaching the end of the year - a time of gratitude, reflection, and celebration. This fall, LCNV registered nearly 500 people in our online and in-person classes and we are extremely proud of all of our learners whose devotion to changing their lives has never ceased, despite the hardships they may be facing at this time.

We are also thankful to everyone who has shown us support this year, whether it be through volunteering or making a donation - each one of you has helped make a difference in your community. Read the full letter...

When Dar Al-Hijrah, with whom we’ve had a long-standing partnership since 2017, informed us that they had 20 Afghan refugees ready for English classes, our fall semester was already underway. Rather than have them wait to join LCNV’s spring session, LCNV committed to offering impromptu virtual classes at no charge to these newly arrived residents. We are excited to have the opportunity to offer these new arrivals that speak little to no English the option to start their language acquisition immediately. These virtual classes are offered twice a week for two hours each, led by an LCNV trained instructor along with class aides and volunteers. In addition, LCNV started teaching a free virtual drop-in Conversation class as a supplemental service and students will be invited to enroll in Spring classes beginning in January 2022.

Jackie Corkins is a teacher at the Literacy Council of Northern Virginia (LCNV) where she teaches adult basic English and integrated education and training classes. For more than eight years, Jackie has taught the essential skills that English learners must have to participate more fully and confidently in their workplace and community. To help her students apply their English skills, Jackie focuses on establishing a learner-friendly environment that incorporates real-life situations, day-to-day activities, and personal experiences. We are so grateful to have Jackie as one of our instructors- she truly goes above and beyond to help each one of her students feel encouraged and supported and we are so proud to spotlight her and share the work that she does with the community. In this interview, she talks about how she came to LCNV and what keeps her coming back. We hope you will enjoy learning about one of our favorite teachers! Read the full interview!

There is so much to bring us hope this holiday season: our volunteers, our generous supporters, but most of all, our learners whose courage, care and compassion for their classmates and neighbors is truly remarkable. But we still have work to do! Your contributions to LCNV help learners whose hard work to learn English will help them find new or better jobs, engage in their children’s education, and share their voice and talents with the community. Submit your tax-deductible year-end donation to help us continue to serve those that need it the most! A gift from new donors or increased donations from existing donors will be matched up to $2,000, so give today and double your impact! Gifts of $500 or more may be eligible to receive tax credits in Virginia equal to 65 percent of the donation under the Virginia Department of Education’s Neighborhood Assistance Program. Thank you for your generous contributions! Donate Now!

Congratulations, Ruba Afzal on your new position as CEO of IndyReads!

Interested in joining our team? See our open positions here and apply!