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Information and inspiration for our friends and partners. |
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LVWCC's adult learners are invited to showcase their culinary skills at our Foods of the World potluck event. Learners are encouraged to prepare a dish of food typical of their home country's cuisine. LVWCC will provide everything else.
- Date: Saturday, February 8th
- Time: 10:30 am to noon
- Address: Oak Park Public Library, 834 Lake St.
- Room: Veteran's Room, 2nd Floor
Learners: Kids are welcome; please also consider inviting adult friends or family members who might be interested in getting a tutor with LVWCC. There will be box for them to submit their contact information near the door. Tutors: Please help us promote this tasty event to your learners, especially if they are not on our e-newsletter mailing list. American food is just as fantastic. The more the merrier!
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Welcome New Adult Learners
We would like to extend a warm welcome to Ricardo, Nieves, Stephanie and Ronis, new learners who started instruction with us in January.
Tutor Appreciation
We would like to express our gratitude to tutors who have provided 50 or more instructional hours during the first six months of our fiscal year.
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Kathy Moran
Program Coordinator
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- Dolly Baruch
- Radeshia Brown
- Flo Jerousek
- Kathleen Novak
- Beth Venzke
Group Learning Opportunities
New Small Group Tutoring Opportunity  LVWCC recently partnered with Berwyn North School District 98 and the Berwyn Public Library to offer parent ESL instruction at Havlicek School. In this equal partnership; D98 provides space and learners, the Library provides instructional support and site coordination, and LVWCC provides tutors and intake services. The class, which started on January 10th, meets every Friday from 8:45 to 10:15 am until the end of May. If you are available and interested in tutoring in groups of 3 to 4 learners, please let us know. Candidates should: - have some previous experience with low level learners in our program,
- pass a background check, and
- participate in weekly lesson planning sessions
For more information or to volunteer, send an email to kmoran@lvwcc.org. Tutor Log Reminder
Help us make accurate and timely reports to our stakeholders; please submit your January tutor log by February 5th: Online, by email: kmoran@lvwcc.org, by fax: (708) 848-9564, or by postal mail: Kathy Moran/LVWCC, PO Box 4502, Oak Park, IL 60304.
LVWCC ESL Graduates: Krassimir and Radka Tchernookov
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Krassimir
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Krassimir and Radka emigrated from Bulgaria to Oak Park in 2012 so they could live closer to their son and daughter. In Bulgaria, Radka was an architect and Krassimir was a landscape architect. Upon moving to the U.S., they set a goal to find work in their professions, but first they needed to improve their English skills.
They learned about LVWCC through a librarian at the Oak Park Library. They began personal tutoring with Andy Byrne, and they also started to attend Conversation Cafe twice a week. Over the course of a year, their English speaking skills improved so much that they have graduated from our ESL program and have entered our Adult Basic Education program.
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Radka
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They continue to seek professional work in their fields and practice their English every day. They still attend Conversation Cafe and they read books and articles in English. As new ABE learners, they have begun personal tutoring with David Sokol.
Radka and Krassimir both expressed gratitude for the LVWCC program, and Radka spoke about the incredible Conversation Cafe tutors. They are now friends with Andy, their first tutor, and they are excited about working with David.
Through hard work and the help of LVWCC, they are making steady progress toward their goal of working in the United States.
LVWCC tutor and pianist Ira Goodkin will play Chopin's Etudes on Sunday, February 9, from 2:00 to 4:00 pm at PianoForte Foundation, 1335 S. Michigan in Chicago. A reception follows the concert. Seating is limited; click here to reserve.
LVWCC Literacy Lines E-Newsletter Archives
Looking for previous editions of our e-newsletter? Click here for the archives.
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Tutor Training Opportunities
Email kmoran@lvwcc.org for more information or to register.
- Low-Level ESL Tutor Training Thursdays, March 20 and 27, Chicago (more information TBA as it becomes available)
Website of the Month
The Illinois Secretary of State provides funding for our Adult Volunteer Literacy program. To support the effort, the Illinois State Library's Literacy Office provides resources to help our tutors and learners, such as:
- Adult New Reader Book Club Collections You may borrow sets of easy-to-read books using your public library card via the IL Library Delivery System (ILDS). Most titles have a CD version of the book to listen and read at the same time.
- Literacy Resource Bins These are noteworthy full-text anthologies on a variety of teaching topics. Subjects range from teaching ESL to health literacy, from job preparation to learning disabilities, and many more. These bins are also available through the ILDS system.
Tutors: if you are interested, now is the time of year to start a winter reading group for adult learners, or maybe you would like to meet up with some of your fellow tutors for an informal professional development study group. If you'd like to borrow an easy reader set or a resource bin for either of these activities, or just for personal use, please send an email to Kathy at kmoran@lvwcc.org.
Barbara A. Raispis Literacy Collection
The Raispis Collection has been streamlined and relocated to the Berwyn Public Library. To better serve tutors of low-level ABE and ESL students, we have compiled the most essential tools and resources on teaching beginner ABE and ESL, including phonics and beginner speaking.
The Raispis Collection is not kept in the public area;
please call Esther at (708) 749-6328 or send an email to echase@berwynlibrary.org if you would like to browse. Browsing hours are by appointment only on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 9 am to 4 pm, and Thursdays from 1 to 9 pm.
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Library of the Month: North Riverside Public Library | Written by
Jasmine Brown |
As one of our new partners, we think that the North Riverside Public Library offers a great meeting location for one-on-one tutors, including the willing assistance of experienced librarians who can help you obtain ESL and ABE resources for your tutoring sessions.
We interviewed Mary Cooper, an adult services librarian, who offers insight into some resources available to tutors and students alike:
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Mary Cooper North Riverside
Public Library
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Does your library have a defined adult literacy or ESL collection? No, North Riverside does not currently offer a defined adult literacy or ESL collection, but we can help you find just about anything you might need through interlibrary loan.
Does your library have independent study materials for English language learners? Yes, we have 12 audio editions for ESL available.
Do you offer space to reserve for one-to-one and small group tutoring?
Yes, we have one quiet room (which seats four) on the main floor and two quiet rooms (which seat four and six) in the lower Youth Services area. Tutors and learners do not need to be North Riverside patrons, but ID is required. The rooms can be booked in advance.
Are there any upcoming programs or services that you think our learners or tutors would like to know about?
During the months of March and April we will offer a book discussion program called "On the Same Page" in conjunction with the Brookfield Zoo, the Riverside Public Library, and the Brookfield Public Library. More information can be found on our website.
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New Board President
 Esther Chase has been on the board of directors with LVWCC since 2010 and resides in Oak Park. She has a professional background in adult literacy. Esther currently works as the Adult Learning Program Coordinator and Librarian at the Berwyn Public Library, where she just received her second promotion. She holds a B.A. in English from Gannon University and completed post-baccalaureate training in teaching Adult ESL with Hamline University.
New Board Member Katie Frankle has been a volunteer tutor with LVWCC since 2010 and resides in Oak Park. She has a professional background in information technology from which she is retired. Katie served on the board of directors at the Oak Park Education Foundation for ten years, and served as president for two years. More recently, she has volunteered in various capacities at Oak Park Temple and at LVWCC. Welcome Katie! We would like to take the opportunity to thank those who made donations this fiscal year:
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One-time Gifts
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Adele Cannell, $1,096
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Esther Chase, $20,800
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Jolinda Cappello, $50
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Laura Jane & Myron Colber, $50
| | | | Esther Chase, $70 | | | |
Sarah Connelly & Arden Realty, $1,100
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Katie Frankle, $50
| | | | Dina Guirini-Gordon & Greg Gordon, $100 | | | |
Greg Gordon, $100
| | | | HuaYi He, $100 | | | | Sheila McDonnell, $75 | | | | Mario K. Medina, $125 | | | |
Claudio Antonio de Oliveira, $50
| | | | Betsy Snyder, $200 | | | | Rob and Rebecca Streit, $50 | | | |
| | | | Jeriann Walsh, $50 | | | | Michael Warnock, $30 | | | | Anonymous, $12 | | |
LVWCC Board of Directors
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Name
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Resident of
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Since
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Current Role
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Esther Chase
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Oak Park
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2010
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Board President
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Tanya Sobosan
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Riverside
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2008
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Board Member
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Mario K. Medina
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Berwyn
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2011
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Board Member
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Ron Harper
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Oak Park
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2012
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Board Member
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Adele Cannell
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Elmwood Park
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2013
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Board Member
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Jolinda Cappello
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Elmwood Park
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2013
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Board Member
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Katie Frankle
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Oak Park
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2013
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Board Member
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Would you like to serve on our board of directors? Board members must:
- live in our service area, and
- attend 6 board meetings per year, and
- have at least 2 years of volunteer tutor experience with us, or
- be a current student with professional experience we need, or
- have extensive non-profit directorship experience.
Please send an email to echase@lvwcc.org for more information.
Board Meetings
Board meetings are held every other month. Our next board meeting will be held on Monday, March 10, 2014 at 7:30 pm. We invite you to share your concerns about the organization and ask questions during our open session. If you would like to join us, please send an email to echase@lvwcc.org for the location details.
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 LVWCC has been developing literacy skills with adults in the near-west suburbs of Chicago since 1987. We provide free customized tutoring to adult learners through a network of trained volunteers.
Our unique service area includes disadvantaged communities where 25% of residents have not completed high school, in addition to well-educated communities where 99% of residents have completed high school. Together, we are literally changing lives. Learn more.
Our program is made possible by a grant from the Illinois State Library, a division of the Office of Secretary of State, using funds designated for literacy. We are thankful that the State of Illinois continues to invest in our program. Find out more about how public libraries play a key role in the provision of literacy services.
Additional support for the work of LVWCC is made possible through an annual competitive grant from the Donley Foundation, which helps us achieve our organizational mission in western Cook County. We appreciate the legacy established by Edward and Inez Donley and we are proud that the Foundation considers us a partner in their effort to help adults advance in life and contribute to society.
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Donate
Would you consider a monthly donation to our program? Small dependable gifts from friends like you help sustain our program each year while the state of Illinois works to release annual competitive funding. If you have already sent us a donation, thank you. Your support helps us train more tutors and reach more learners who need us.
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Volunteer
Helping an adult improve literacy skills can be a rewarding process for both you and your adult learner; the effects can last a lifetime and impact generations. More than reading, writing, or mathematics, improved literacy leads to greater self-confidence, engaged parenting, increased employability, and a desire for lifelong learning.
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Literacy Volunteers of Western Cook County (LVWCC)
Mailing Address: PO Box 4502, Oak Park, IL 60304
Office Location: 1010 W. Lake St. Suite 603, Oak Park, IL 60301
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