Literacy Volunteers Of America-Danbury To Hold Open House And Training Workshop
Literacy Volunteers Of America-Danbury To Hold Open House And Training Workshop
DANBURY â Literacy Volunteers of America-Danbury announces that they will again hold an open house and orientation on Thursday, October 19, starting at 7 pm at their offices at 5 Library Place.
The Danbury affiliate of Literacy Volunteers of America serves the towns of Bethel, Brookfield, Bridgewater, Kent, New Fairfield, New Milford, Newtown, Redding, Ridgefield, Roxbury, Sherman, Southbury, and Brewster, N.Y.
At the open house and orientation session, all interested persons will visit the facilities and learn about the work done by volunteers to help those who have never learned to read and write and to help those new to the country in understanding and speaking English and becoming familiar with North American customs.
A tutor training session is scheduled to begin October 30 and last for six week-day evenings to prepare newcomers to become Literacy Volunteers. The training will be facilitated by two long-term Literacy Volunteers: Barbara Wyman of Ridgefield, who is a specialist in Basic Reading/Basic Literacy, and by Ellen Parrella of Newtown, a specialist in English for Speakers of Other Languages. The training will take place at the offices of LVA on Library Place.
Registrants are asked to purchase the books, but other than this small outlay there is no cost associated with the training. All work is done by volunteers and students are not charged for their lessons. The training workshop will cover cultural differences and specific techniques for tutoring.
Tom Pinkam, Executive Director of the Danbury Affiliate, announced that currently more than 150 students are waiting to be matched with a tutor and the need for new tutors is pressing. Although many volunteers have signed up for training in recent months, many more are needed to help shorten the long waiting list of students.
Anyone wishing to become a Literacy Volunteer and reap the benefits of knowing that he or she has made a difference in someone elseâs life, and has helped to shorten the waiting list for the American Dream, is asked to attend the open house and sign up for the training beginning at the end of October. Classes are limited to 20 people.
Anyone wishing to sign up for the open house and/or the workshop is asked to contact Literacy Volunteers of America-Danbury by telephone at 203/792-8260, or by e-mail to: LVD-D@snet.net. For reservations, or more information on how to become a Literacy Volunteer, please call 792-8260 or visit the Web site at www.danbury.org/literacy.