Literacy Volunteers of Western Cook County

2014 Annual Report

Who We AreEstablished in 1987, Literacy Volunteers of Western

Cook County (LVWCC) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit agency that provides free weekly tutoring to adults in

suburban Cook County and Chicago’s Austin neighborhood through a network of trained

volunteers.

Our MissionLVWCC’s mission is to provide free literacy tutoring to adult learners in Western Cook

County to help them competently read, write and speak English, thus increasing quality of

life in three areas: family, workplace and community.

Take a look at our Theory of Change model.

Our Volunteer TutorsIn 2014, 60 volunteer tutors partnered with LVWCC

and provided an average of 37.46 instructional hours. All tutors complete at least 12 hours of pre-

service training before being matched with a learner.

Also, 25% of our tutors are new this year, and 52% have been tutors with LVWCC for 1 year or longer.

Our Adult Learners Our 111 learners are adult men and women of all ages,

nationalities, economic and social backgrounds living in the near-west suburbs of Chicago. Each learner has his or her own unique literacy needs.

Many cannot attend formal classes due to their schedule, lack of transportation or other personal reasons. LVWCC brings learning into a learner’s neighborhood, often within walking distance of home.

Click here to explore our demographic data in more detail.

Meet Our Learners & Tutors

Literacy Lines profiles learners and tutors each month. Meet some of our learners and tutors from this past year.

Seong Jae Kim & Ji Yun Jung, South Korea1+ years with LVWCC

Gosia Kurek, Poland1+ years with LVWCC

China HillTutor since 2012

Radeshia BrownTutor since 2007

Lenetta Croom-Bright Tutor since 2011

Ruth FoleyTutor since 2007

FY 2014 Achievements• Served an additional 13 advanced learners through small

group participation

• Learner gains included:o Post-test rate: 30%o Average SORT gain: 2.0 grade levels, from 2.0 to 4.0o Average TABE gain: 2.9 grade levels, from 5.2 to 8.1o Average BEST Literacy gain: 13.6 points, from 3.0 to

4.0o Average BEST Plus gain: 53.3 points, from 4.0 to 6.0

• Learners received an average of 29.91 hours of tutoring, and 26% of learners have studied with LVWCC for 1 year or longer.

FY 2014 Achievements

• Revamped the look and feel of Literacy Lines

• Added a blog and a discussion forum to our website

• Achieved all projected outcomes for the year:o Increased ABE academic performanceo Increased ESL academic performanceo Achieved good literacy behaviors among learnerso Increased learners’ life skills and independence

FY 2015 State Program Goals• Increase number of adult learners from 111 to 140

• Increase number of volunteer tutors from 60 to 90

• Increase average number of instructional hours per learner from 29 to 45

• Increase learner post-testing rate from 30% to 50%

• Increase timely tutor log submission from 67% to 80%

• Establish at least one new learning group in 3 target areas

FY 2015 OPRF Community Foundation Program Goals

• Recruit 32 learners in OPRF target communities; • 8 in Cicero

• 8 in Elmwood Park

• 8 in Forest Park

• 8 in Maywood

• Recruit 16 volunteer tutors who are willing to serve in: • 4 in Cicero

• 4 in Elmwood Park

• 4 in Forest Park

• 4 in Maywood

• Increase annual learner retention by 25%

• Serve a total of 140 learners through our program.

FY 2014 Financial SupportIn 2014, LVWCC received financial support from:

•Illinois State Library•Sarah Connelly, Oakbrook Terrace Tower, Arden Realty•Whole Foods River Forest•Friends & family of the late Edna McQuillan, former tutor•Individual donations from our tutors•Individual donations from past board members

More detailed information on LVWCC’s financials is available here.

How You Can Help• Become a tutor, and then:

• Turn in tutor logs and group attendance on time• Let us know if your match or your group needs help• Let us know if you need better instructional materials• Let us know if your learner is not making progress• Let us know if your learner plans to leave the program

• Refer adult learners to LVWCC:• Public librarians can submit an application for a learner online• Public librarians can proctor two of our literacy assessments

• Donate to LVWCC:• Your $25 gift provides a pair of workbooks• Your $100 gift provides ongoing learner and tutor support• Your $500 gift helps us recruit new learners and train new tutors

• Join LVWCC’s Board of Directors. We need advocates for:• Civic Literacy• Community Literacy• Family Literacy• Health Literacy• Social Literacy• Workplace Literacy