WESTFIELD — It was a night of celebration and recognition for Literacy New Jersey’s Union County volunteer tutors June 6 as over 60 tutors were feted at The Presbyterian Church in Westfield for years of volunteer service working with adults who struggle with reading, writing and speaking English.
Andrea J. Stein, author of “Typecast,” was the keynote speaker. She offered words of praise and thanks to the tutors for making a positive difference in their communities. Ms. Stein noted that almost 17 percent of adults in New Jersey cannot read at the level they need to in order to easily function in their community.
Five volunteer tutors received special recognition for 10 years of service to Literacy New Jersey: Nancy Lama of Scotch Plains, Parthena Rosahl of Fanwood, Tara McGroddy of Westfield, Maria Sulcer of Summit and Linda Ulanet of Springfield.
The event, themed “The Next Chapter-Helping Students Move Forward to the Next Chapter in their Lives,” highlighted ways that tutors had helped their adult students improve their language skills, enabling them to find better jobs, advocate for their children at school, and become more engaged in the local community.
Several students shared their personal experiences. Basic Literacy and GED student Joan Bosire described emigrating from Kenya and continuing her education in the United States with Literacy New Jersey. GED student Annamay Bair thanked her tutors for helping her improve her reading and writing skills and related her journey after dropping out of high school to earning a high-school diploma, thanks to supportive tutors “who believed in me.”
Literacy New Jersey offers tutoring to adult residents of Union County in three areas: basic reading and writing, English as a Second Language (ESL), and preparatory courses for the High School Equivalency (GED) exam. Tutors choose one area to focus on and then typically volunteer two hours a week, working with a small group of students. For more information about becoming a volunteer tutor or the program in general, call (908) 486-1777 or email Barbara Bagger at bbagger@literacynj.org.
