Literacy council transforming lives
Courtesy of Literacy Council of Southwestern Pennsylvania
The Literacy Council of Southwestern Pennsylvania aims to help area adults to gain literacy skills.
Courtesy of Literacy Council of Southwestern Pennsylvania
The Literacy Council of Southwestern Pennsylvania provides free English as a Second Language classes and adult GED classes and basic tutoring, along with other programs to improve reading skills.
The Literacy Council of Southwestern Pennsylvania teaches reading, writing, and language skills to adults. The nonprofit was started in 1985, and is seeking volunteers and donations to continue its mission.
鈥淟iteracy,鈥� said former United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan, 鈥渋s the bridge from misery to hope.鈥�
The Literacy Council of Southwestern PA is a nonprofit gem that, for more than 3陆 decades has given hope to 鈥� and transformed the lives of 鈥� people in Fayette County by improving their reading skills.
The literacy council offers adult basic education classes that provide instruction in reading, writing, and math, along with GED tutoring.
The council also provides free English as a Second Language classes to help local immigrants gain the language skills they need to find jobs and to get involved with their communities. It also offers a children鈥檚 literacy program.
The council relies heavily on its trained tutors, who are vital cogs in providing the gift of reading to students. It is seeking volunteers.
The nonprofit also depends on donors to support its mission, and is grateful for donations.
At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic the literacy council immediately pivoted to meet the needs of students.
Thanks to two sizable grants, the literacy council purchased Chromebooks and MIFIs and began teaching classes remotely via Zoom.
In addition, the council used the second grant to start a Student Emergency Relief Fund to assist immigrant students by purchasing grocery cards, gas cards, and gift cards to help students pay for utilities and other expenses.
While the number of students enrolled in classes has more than doubled 鈥� and nearly tripled 鈥� due to remote learning, the number of tutors, a vast majority of whom are retired seniors, has declined.
鈥淲e鈥檝e not only stayed relevant during the pandemic, but we鈥檝e reached a larger population of people in need, but the tutor pool has gone down. There aren鈥檛 enough to deal with record enrollment,鈥� said executive director Brandi Miller.
Zoom has been a game-changer, allowing some tutors to host classes from their homes in New Jersey and Washington, D.C.
Typically, the literacy council has around 50 tutors, with around 35 active, but they are down to about 25, while student enrollment in the ESL and GED programs has ballooned to 240.
The council is expanding on-site services into the Mon Valley, Canonsburg, and Chartiers-Houston areas, in addition to helping students find solutions to unemployment and other issues.
It provides Zoom and in-person literacy classes seven days a week.
The literacy council has provided services to immigrants from 56 countries, and has helped students obtain U.S. citizenship.
鈥淎s a volunteer, I know that I become part of their American journey, their American story,鈥� said Kris Drach, a tutor and board president. 鈥淚 love that I am able to be that in someone鈥檚 life. They鈥檙e the most wonderful people 鈥� what we do is so much more than teaching someone English.鈥�
Miller echoed Drach鈥檚 thoughts.
鈥淲e鈥檙e the fortunate ones, to be a part of their experience. I鈥檓 so grateful for what I do and what we do here,鈥� said Miller. 鈥淥ur whole program, we could not do it without volunteers.鈥�
For information on the Literacy Council of Southwestern Pennsylvania, or to donate or to volunteer, visit the website at lcswpa.org.