LVSC News: Winter 2024 Edition

The Literacy Letter

Winter 2024

Message from the Executive Director

Hello LVSC Friends,

We may already be halfway through January, but I wanted to take the opportunity to say Happy New Year. I hope you enjoyed the holiday season and your year is off to a good start.

At LVSC, we ended 2023 on a high note, training a large class of new tutors, receiving the Driving Change Award from the Healthier Somerset coalition, and celebrating the holidays with our First Steps Basic English students. We welcomed two new board members and were delighted by your generous response to our matching gift challenge.

Starting a new year is exciting and we hit the ground running on this one. New student winter enrollment just ended and winter tutor training is about to begin with 30 volunteers registered. Staff and volunteers are hard at work assessing students and placing them in our tutoring program, English conversation groups, or ESL classes. More than 200 student applied for either our tutoring program or basic English classes!

We have great programming and events underway and so much exciting news to share with you. I hope you'll enjoy this issue of The Literacy Letter.

Warmest regards,

Aimee

Aimee Lam, Executive Director

PS. After a five year hiatus, our Garden of Literacy Brunch & Silent Auction is back! Hope to see you on March 10th at the Olde Mill Inn in Basking Ridge. Tickets are on sale through our website.

Matching Gift Challenge - You Did It!

Last fall the LVSC board issued a special challenge. With the goal of raising $20,000, members of the board pledged to match all donations, dollar for dollar, up to $10,000. The LVSC community is so amazing and so generous that guess what? Thanks to you, we far exceeded our goal. Your donations, board member donations, and corporate matching gifts totaled more than $38,000!

Welcome New Board Members

Dana Ponciroli

Director, Employee Communications at Solvay

Dana is an accomplished corporate communications executive. She recently completed BoardConnect, a training program offered by NonProfit Connect which trains people how to serve on non-profit boards. Dana has experience living and studying abroad and understands well the challenges our students face when adapting to a new language and culture.

Peter Russell

CPA (inactive)

Prudential Financial Retiree

Pete retired from a successful 40-year career at Prudential, where he worked in various financial areas. He is an active member of his local community, providing leadership and coaching through his sons' youth sports programs. He is also a trained LVSC tutor and is currently tutoring four students!

Student Spotlight: Ana is Employee of the Month

Ana is a dedicated student who comes prepared to every lesson and always completes her homework. She is so proud of her job at McDonald's and is using her English with customers. She is aspiring to become an assistant manager. Congratulations, Ana!

Learn More

Celebrating with First Steps Basic English Classes

We ended the first semester of First Steps Basic English classes with pizza parties for all. Congratulations to class participants for your success in learning English. Great work everyone!

Since September, LVSC has been leading a collaborative program to increase access to basic English instruction in underserved communities. Thanks to an American Rescue Plan grant from Somerset County, LVSC and partners are providing English classes to 100 new students in Bound Brook, Bernardsville, North Plainfield, Raritan, and Franklin. Raritan Valley Community College and Hunterdon County Educational Services Commission provide the teachers, library branches provide space, and The Greater Raritan Workforce Development Board provides administrative oversight. Classes help build language skills and community among students. This spring we will add three new classes and train tutors to work in small groups, reaching even more students.

LVSC Presented with Driving Change Award

LVSC was honored to receive the Driving Change Award from the Healthier Somerset coalition. This award was given in recognition of our lead role on the First Steps Basic English program.

Pictured is LVSC Executive Director Aimee Lam with two amazing supporters: Greater Raritan Workforce Development Board Director Paul Grzella (left) and Somerset County Commissioner Deputy Director Doug Singleterry (right).

Programs in Action

LVSC is serving 400 students through a network of 175 trained tutors. Here's a glimpse of our programs in action.

There's always lots of laughter in this conversation group co-taught by tutors Allison C, Karen B, and Stella T.

Such happy faces in Vicki F's Hillsborough conversation group.

What do you do on Saturday mornings? These dedicated students are up early for English class every weekend. Thanks to the Dynamic Duo (volunteer teachers Susan P and Tammy W) for leading this Zoom class.

Our talented conversation group leaders are a creative and dedicated bunch.

Kathy E's Manville conversation group is a popular place to be.

Welcome to 23 new tutors ready to do their part in making the world a kinder place. These volunteers completed LVSC's fall tutor training workshop and are teaching English to 27 students from 14 different countries -- right here in Somerset County, NJ.

So Many New Citizens!

Specially-trained LVSC tutors help students prepare for the U.S. naturalization test and interview. We're always excited to share their good news.

Cultural Connections: A Writing Workshop

With a generous grant from the New Jersey Council for the Humanities we learned a lot during weekly conversations on cross-cultural communication. Fanny, Tugba, Ellen, and Lin had a great discussion about complimenting and eye contact: they vary by culture and can cause major misunderstandings.

Volunteer Appreciation Gathering

There's nothing better than spending time with our volunteers! We enjoyed seeing so many incredible tutors and supporters at our Volunteer Appreciation Gathering.

In the Community

LVSC staff had a fun day at the Somerset County Diversity Festival.

Literacy Navigator Stella Nieves was busy at the Bound Brook Community Resource Fair.

Thank You to Our Recent Grant Donors

Billian Family Foundation
George H. and Estelle M. Sands Foundation
Johnson & Johnson Somerset County Companies-Health Care & Basic Needs Fund
Munich Re America
PSEG Foundation
The Nora Roberts Foundation
Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Somerset Hills (UUCSH) Plate Collection

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.

One-Time Donation

Monthly donations support crucial behind-the-scenes expenses: staff, office space, internet, and phones.

Monthly Donation

Save the Date

Sunday, March 10: It's Back! Garden of Literacy Brunch & Silent Auction at the Olde Mill Inn, Basking Ridge.

Thursday, April 11: Spring Tutor Training Begins

Wednesday, June 5: Annual Meeting & Recognition Night

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