Literacy Volunteers of Rensselaer County

Annual Report 2012-2013

In our 45th Anniversary Year, our programs and services are stronger than ever before. Powered by volunteers and administered by professional staff, these programs serve adults and children in Rensselaer County and surrounding areas.

In 2012-2013, 120 volunteer tutors assisted 180 adult learners and 63 children in reading, writing, speaking and understanding English. Six tutors helped 50 learners to improve math skills.

Five Tutor Training Workshops prepared 58 new volunteers to tutor adults using an interactive, learner-centered, whole language approach.

With funding from the WDI, Workplace Literacy classes provided instruction to English language learners at Blasch Precision Ceramics and

Comfortex. Corporate

LVORC’s 45th Anniversary Year: 2013

sponsorship funded ESOL classes for employees of Jaeger & Flynn in Clifton Park and Hilton Garden Inn in Troy.

LVORC staff and volunteer instructors presented a Financial Literacy program as part of the YWCA’s Ready for Work trainings at the Troy YWCA. With support from United Way, Make the Most of Your Money helped 39 women to sharpen their financial skills.

English Literacy Civics provided 150 hours of instruction to 24 adult immigrants and refugees in Albany. Funded by a Workforce Investment Act (WIA) grant, EL Civics helps learners to improve their English and get ready to work while learning about U.S. civics.

Computer Classes allowed 12 learners to advance their skills, assisted by 12 Russell Sage College students.

The Sewing and English Class gave ten women a chance to participate in community life and obtain new job skills while practicing their English every Saturday in Rensselaer.

Citizenship Preparation gave eight adults the literacy skills they needed to pass the U.S. naturalization test and interview.

Telephone Conversation Partners made it possible for 22 English language learners to strengthen their speaking and comprehension skills on the phone.

The Smart Consumer Literacy program helped 33 learners to understand the importance of planning and making good choices when it comes to spending money. This program was provided to LVORC by Literacy New York and Walmart. -Please see

Programs and Services, Page 3

Computer Class students and tutors

Everybody Wins!

A new citizen and his tutor

English language learners with their tutors at the Spring Dinner

I graduated from the Ready for Work program at the YWCA last spring and I am continuing to strive towards getting prepared to take GED classes in September. Being tutored is helping me out a lot. When I am driving on the highway going out of town I can now read the signs, or when I go shopping or am at the store and I see a flyer I can read it now. I am even able to be reading everyone’s posts on Facebook. Being tutored is building my confidence in reading and how I am feeling about myself. Since I had a tutor I became a better reader and my comprehension has expanded. -StaEsha

CAP COM Federal Credit Union

Cohoes Savings Foundation

IBT Hamilton

Pitney Bowes Foundation

Stewart’s Shops

United Way of the Greater Capital Region

Aflac Blasch Precision Ceramics Comfortex First Niagara Foundation Gettysburg Flag Works Hilton Garden Inn, Troy Jaeger & Flynn Associates, Inc. Market Block Books The Record Standish Family Foundation TD Charitable Foundation Troy Savings Bank Foundation Turner Construction Workforce Development Institute

Sponsors

Albany Public Library Church of the Blessed Sacrament East Greenbush Community Library Emma Willard School Faith Lutheran Church First United Presbyterian Church, Troy Hudson Valley Community College Literacy New York Greater Capital Region Parish of St. John and St. Joseph Questar III BOCES Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Rensselaer Technology Park Rensselaer Public Library Russell Sage College St. Mary’s Church, Rensselaer Troy Housing Authority Troy Public Library U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants

YWCA of Troy-Cohoes

Partners

Fiscal Year 2012-2013 Unaudited Financials

Income Source Dollar Amount New York State Government $73,846 United Way $32,545 Special Events $25,151 Contracted Services $18,100 Foundations/Corporations $17,055 Annual Campaign $6,089 Bequests/Memorials $5.180 Individual/Private Donations $3,585 Religious Organizations $1,339 Other $1,655

TOTAL INCOME $184,545

Remember to like us!

Programs and Services, Continued from Page 1 In 2012-2013, our Everybody Wins! program recruited, trained and supported 69 volunteer mentors from local businesses (including Pitney Bowes, Aflac, Turner Construction, First Niagara, and Key Bank), colleges (RPI and HVCC), and the community to read aloud to children in elementary school once a week during lunchtime. The program served 63 children at School 14 and Sacred Heart in Troy and Sheridan Preparatory Academy and Arbor Hill Elementary in Albany. A volunteer school coordinator works in each school and notifies the reading mentor if his or her student is absent, selects the

Special events such as the Famous

Ladies’ Tea (above), the Literacy

Run/Walk (left) and the Bowlathon

(below) help us to provide our free

programs and services.

books (with the volunteer’s input regarding the child’s interests), maintains the records for the program, and serves as liaison between the school and LVORC/Everybody Wins! The program is funded through donations from the Pitney Bowes Foundation, Aflac, First Niagara, Turner Construction, and Stewart’s Holiday Match.

Caption describing picture or graphic.

One learner’s experience:

Words can’t begin to express the amount of gratitude Aaron and I have for your help, care and concern. After being rejected by every other program listed on the NYS Education website, all hope of getting Aaron the help he needed with math was beginning to disappear. We came to LVORC already feeling somewhat defeated. We were welcomed in with open arms and zero judgment. I was only expecting some tutoring for Aaron’s math at best, but was pleasantly surprised by the friendly staff and professionalism with the testing not only for math, but for other important subjects like reading and writing as well . . . After several months of Mr. Pete’s math tutoring, Aaron took his GED and passed math with more than the minimum requirements . . . I’m proud of Aaron and more importantly he’s proud of himself. (Excerpted from a letter from Aaron’s mother.)

2012-2013 Financials

NYS Government

United Way

Special Events

Foundations

Contracted Services

Annual Appeal

Bequests/Memorials

Religious Orgs.

Individual Donations

Other

Please join us in thanking all of our 335 volunteers and the sponsors who have made our programs and events possible.

Your support allows Aaron and other learners to succeed. Contributions can be made payable to LVORC and sent to 1915 Fifth Avenue, Troy, N.Y. 12180. Donations can be made online: www.lvorc.org. If you support the United Way, please designate your gift directly to Literacy Volunteers of Rensselaer County.

LVORC Staff

Barbara Wyman Executive Director

Marie Heller Student and Volunteer Coordinator

Linda Feldmann Project Coordinator

Mary German Data Coordinator

Kristin Morgan Bookkeeper

Administrative Volunteers Jeanne Laiacona

Data Management Karen Chandler

Administrative Assistant Susan Rapp

Administrative Assistant Judith Smith

Board of Directors 2012-2013

Thomas Hulihan, President Caitlin Stein-Miner,

Vice President Sharon Domine, Secretary

Chris Helwig, Treasurer Alexis K. Clement, Esq.

Daniel N. Fennell Cassandra Gazeley

Sari Hammond Shay Harrison

Elizabeth Kerry Nadia Orso

Don R. Stimpson Cathy Watrobski

Celebrating 45 Years of helping adult learners to read, write,

speak, and understand English.

Literacy Volunteers of

Rensselaer County

www.lvorc.org

Non-Profit Org.

U.S. POSTAGE PAID

Permit No. 941 Albany, NY

12288

1915 Fifth Avenue Troy, N.Y. 12180

(518) 274-8526