Who We Are
Literacy Volunteers of Santa Fe’s (LVSF) mission is to create opportunities and improve lives by providing free tutoring to adults in reading, writing, and speaking English. LVSF was established in 1985 to provide free, quality tutoring services to adults seeking to improve their basic reading skills or to learn English as a Second Language. Since then, more than 4,000 trained tutors have provided close to 450,000 hours of instruction to over 12,000 adults throughout Santa Fe County. This represents volunteer contributions equivalent to $9.3 million.
What We Do
Our student-centered tutoring programs focus on improving basic reading and writing skills, building job skills, empowering parents to help their children succeed in school, and helping immigrants prepare for citizenship. Because of the great demand for literacy services in our area, the program now consists of over 160 volunteer tutors working with more than 400 students each year.
Literacy Volunteers has two main programs:
Basic Literacy
Adults who have limited or no literacy skills are matched with tutors who help them meet their learning goals. Students also have the opportunity to learn basic computer literacy skills in our open computer lab, which has reading, typing, and job readiness software.
English as a Second Language
Adults seeking to learn or improve their English skills are tutored in reading and writing. Tutoring occurs in a variety of settings: individual, one-on-one sessions, small classes and workplace locations. By improving their English skills, students are able to improve their families’ quality of life by promoting economic growth and participation in the community. They build upon their English speaking skills to be able to get promoted in the work place and support their families.
Why It Matters
The 2010 Census indicates that 34% of adults in Santa Fe County are functionally illiterate and 32% speak only limited English. With more funding to support our small staff, more training tools, and with more trained tutors, we can serve many more adults and give them the important skills they need to improve their lives.
Our programs equip adults with the skills they need and they, in turn, strengthen the larger community with their improved literacy levels, employability, and increased civic participation. Your support can make a big difference to people who are seeking to improve their own lives.
For more information, visit our website.
