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The Literacy Letter
Fall 2023
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Message from the Executive Director, Aimee Lam | |
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LVSC has entered an exciting period of growth and change. We have so much news to share with you!
When LVSC's year ended in June, we had returned to pre-pandemic levels of service. We are now serving 400 students through a network of 175 volunteer tutors.
Summer came and went full of activity. We celebrated student success and volunteer dedication at our Annual Meeting & Recognition Night. The LVSC board elected a new president and shared a positive financial report. A special thank you to outgoing board president Phil Armenio who provided wise advice and helpful guidance during his tenure and a warm welcome to Scott Curtis, our incoming president.
In July we enjoyed seeing both familiar and new faces at the 7th annual Golf Fore Literacy event. Thanks to event chair Tho Ngo and all the participants who make this special summer fundraiser so much fun.
Also in July we embarked on an exciting multi-agency project to bring basic English instruction to underserved communities. With a large grant from Somerset County, and in close partnership with the Greater Raritan Workforce Development Board, we hired Stella Nieves as Literacy Navigator on the project. The team will start offering more classes and tutoring opportunities to beginner-level students starting in September. This is great news!
While our programs operate year-round, fall is always the busiest time of the year. Student assessments are in full swing, and we are preparing to enroll a record number of students. At the same time, we are recruiting and training new tutors to meet demand and preparing for our Fall Soiree at the Montgomery Library. Hope to see many of you there!
LVSC is special place because of our volunteers, supporters, board, staff, and partners, and of course, our brave students. Thank you all for being an important part of the LVSC community.
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Message from the Board President | |
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Outgoing Board President:
Phil Armenio
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I have been privileged to be your board president for close to six years now. Together we have worked hard at delivering a vital service to teach English. Through our efforts many of our students have been given a lifetime opportunity to advance their English skills and in doing so improve their lives, maybe even get a better job.
You tutors are a role model to the students, volunteering your time and helping students become full members of our community. Those of you who help us with funding, you recognize that English skills promote a better understanding and dialog amongst people from many different backgrounds and beliefs. To the Board and Staff, your work is an expression of selfless dedication to our mission.
As I turn the board president position into the capable hands of Scott Curtis, I am reminded of the verses ”...a time to sow, a time to reap...” I am confident LVSC will continue to sow many new seeds of English literacy in the future.
In recognition of his dedicated service and effective leadership, Phil is the recipient of the 2023 Martha Davis Award for Outstanding Service.
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Incoming Board President:
Scott Curtis
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Back in 2017, one of our long-time tutors, Donna Sturm, invited me to attend an LVSC event—the Annual Meeting & Recognition Night—so that I could learn more about the organization. Later I joined the Board, and now I feel honored and humbled to be board president. I must admit I am a little nervous following the late Martha Davis and past president Phil Armenio—but feel fortunate to have a skilled team of board members, a talented and hardworking executive director and staff, and tutors who selflessly give much of their time to help others.
We cannot save the world, but we can do our part. Literacy helps people feel part of their communities and integrate into civil society. Strengthening civil society is vital to the health of our democracy.
To our outgoing board president Phil Armenio—thank you for your leadership and guidance. To my fellow board members—thank you for your trust. I’m eagerly anticipating working together to help those who need our services.
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Introducing the First Steps Beginner English Program | |
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With generous funding from Somerset County, we are working with a team of community partners to provide additional beginner English instruction in underserved communities. This pilot program is called First Steps Beginner English and LVSC is the lead agency on the project! Starting September 18th, our project team will offer free beginner English classes for adults in five local libraries: Bound Brook, Bernardsville, Franklin Township, North Plainfield, and Raritan. Students will receive four hours of weekly instruction, September through May, from certified ESL teachers. Later this year LVSC will offer training, curriculum, and additional support to tutors who want to teach beginner-level English in small groups. In all, we plan to increase our collective reach by 30%.
The 18-month First Steps Beginner English pilot is overseen by the Greater Raritan Workforce Development Board in partnership with LVSC, Raritan Valley Community College, Hunterdon County Educational Services Commission, and our library partners. A tremendous thank you to Paul Grzella director of the Greater Raritan Workforce Development Board for securing funds and to the Somerset County Administrator Colleen Mahr and the Somerset County Commissioners for financial support of this important initiative.
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Meet Stella Nieves, LVSC's Literacy Navigator | |
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Stella Nieves is our newly hired Literacy Navigator. In this role, Stella will help adults in immigrant communities find English instruction appropriate for their level and needs. Her focus will be enrolling students in the new First Steps Beginner English classes. To ensure student success, Stella will track student progression, connect students with job skills and placement services, as well as other supportive community resources.
Stella is a great asset to the small LVSC staff. In addition to being bilingual in Spanish and English, Stella brings life experience as a small business owner and classroom instructor. For the past two years, she has volunteered as an LVSC tutor, assessor and office assistant. She is kind, compassionate, and very organized. Welcome, Stella!
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Annual Meeting & Recognition Event | |
We kicked off summer with the Annual Meeting & Recognition Night where we celebrated student success, tutor dedication, and community support. We presented awards and heard heartfelt stories from students and volunteers. | |
Congratulations to LVSC's 2023 Award Recipients | |
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Student of the Year:
Jean Carlos Hidalgo
| Jean balances a full-time job, his young family, and English studies with grace and dedication. During two short years working with his tutor Rick, Jean has navigated a move to a new apartment and registering his children in their new school. All in English! | |
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Tutor of the Year:
Barbara Lawler
| Barbara and student Vicky have been working together for five years, meeting mostly on the phone during the pandemic! With Barbara's dedication and Vicky's determination, Vicky can confidently speak to customers at work, understands doctors and teachers, and knew what to do when enrolling her son for his senior year of high school. | |
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Volunteer of
the Year:
Vicki Freiman
| Vicki says “yes” every time we ask her to try something new! In just a little over a year after joining LVSC, she tutors two students, runs a conversation group, and coordinates our very popular student newsletter. | |
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Community Partner Award:
Sheryl Guss and the PeopleCare Center
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The PeopleCare Center is a repurposed school building that provides stable, affordable rents to nonprofit agencies at below market cost. Sheryl Guss has been executive director of the Center since 2017. A tenant of the building for more than two decades, this year LVSC expanded to open a Student Success Center. Sheryl and the PeopleCare Center board and staff were helpful, generous, and patient as we took on this ambitious new project. We are grateful to the PeopleCare Center for providing LVSC with an affordable, friendly place to manage our programs, deliver services, and welcome volunteers and clients.
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Milestone Years of Service | |
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We are thrilled to honor volunteers who have hit milestone years of service this year. Thank you for your service to LVSC students and the Somerset County community.
5 years of service:
- Deb Alexander-Mank
- Lisa Browne
- Scott Curtis
- Mary Horowitz:
- Barbara Lawler
- Shefali Mehta
- Debbie Rosenthal
- Nirmala Shivakuma
- Denise Yosafat
10 years of service:
20 years of service:
- Elizabeth Breedlove
- Allison Caulfield
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30 years of service:
In 1993, Dan started as a tutor, and then was our first and only conversation group leader for many years. An incredible 30 years later, he leads two groups, and our program has grown to 12 weekly conversation groups. What an inspiration!
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LVSC's 7th Annual Golf Fore Literacy and Summer Soiree was a tremendous success thanks to our golfers, sponsors, dinner guests, donors, volunteers, and committee members.
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It was a beautiful sunny afternoon as 65 golfers headed to the links. | Golfers were joined by tutors, board members and supporters for a delicious dinner under the tent. | |
Everyone had fun but only one team can win the Top Team Award -- look how proud! | Some golfers were joined by their families for our Summer Soiree dinner -- we even had a new grandbaby join the fun! | |
For the first time we offered a golf lesson and short course for beginner golfers -- we hope it is the start of a new passion! | The highlight of the dinner was hearing from a tutor and student speaker. | |
Thank you to our Golf Fore Literacy Sponsors: | |
Connections, LVSC's Student Newsletter | |
Congratulations to the Student Outreach committee which has published 12 volumes of Connections. A big round of applause to the 40+ student authors! Connections is heartwarming, interesting, funny, and poignant. Topics are varied, ranging from culture shock, to travel, to this month’s edition on school memories. | |
Give the Gift of Literacy | |
You can honor a student, volunteer, or someone special with a donation and you will be sharing the gift of literacy! | |
One-time donations help us train new tutors, serve more students, support our volunteers, and grow our programs. | | |
Monthly donations support crucial behind-the-scenes expenses: staff, office space, internet, and phones. | | | |
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Tuesday, September 19: Fall Tutor Training Begins
Friday, November 3: Fall Soiree at the Montgomery Library
Sunday, March 10: It's Back! Garden of Literacy Brunch & Silent Auction at the Olde Mill Inn, Basking Ridge
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