Anne Arundel County Literacy Council (AACLC) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to working with adults and teenagers (not in school) to improve their reading, math, or English skills. I joined AACLC in April 2016 as a volunteer reading tutor. I currently work with a single mother of two school-aged children who wants to improve her reading skills. One of her major goals is to enroll in Anne Arundel Community College. My student is hard-working and committed to achieving her goals. Since we began working together in June 2016, I have seen such an improvement in her reading and comprehension of many reading materials. She has more confidence in herself and is proud of the achievements she has made thus far. Not only has my student benefited from the program, but I get great pleasure in working with her and seeing the improvements. In helping her, I am "giving back," and that makes me feel good. The director, tutor and student coordinators, assessors, and all those involved with AACLC are there for the volunteers with materials, help, answers to questions, suggestions, and whatever the volunteers need to be successful. This organization is critical in helping those in the county who want to improve their reading skills, get their GED's, get better jobs, or enroll in college. I am so fortune to be a part of AACLC.Lois Crawley
My wife and I became tutors for AACLC last year, and it's been a wonderful (and eye-opening) experience. The staff (mostly volunteer) is dedicated, proficient, well-trained and enthusiastic. We were new to tutoring, and the training and support they provide is excellent. The students (both ours and others we've observed) are motivated, hard-working, and determined to succeed. The AACLC is truly making a difference in the lives of many, many people.
I've been a tutor with the organization and have been impressed by the helpfulness and responsiveness of the staff.
I am a volunteer literacy tutor with AACLC. They have prepared me well and I am now helping a young man overcome many learning challenges as he works toward taking the GED. This tutoring experience continues to reward me in many ways. I am grateful to the council for all the help they have given me so that my student can work towards his goal.
I am a well educated retiree who had been looking for a place to volunteer to do real work. I was tired of fund raising (although I know it is critical) I craved an operations role. I found just that with the AACLC. Today I proudly tell friends, family and anyone who will listen that I am a tutor. The overwhelming and humbling experience of facilitating self motivated but under severed individuals to make a profound difference in their own lives and in our society is the single most rewarding thing I have done. AACLC does more good with so few resources it amazes me daily.
After our daughter had such a positive experience serving as a summer college intern with the Anne Arundel County Literacy Council, my wife and I decided to begin serving as volunteer tutors. We had always thought that literacy is such an important component in a community and we wanted to do our part with a reputable organization. Our path to becoming tutors started with being contacted by friendly and knowledgeable staff and being invited to a couple of weekend training events. We learned so much during the training and then were assigned students to begin supporting their path to future literacy and math improvement. We are greatly enjoying working with our students, one who needs assistance with math, and the other who is an English as a second language student The AACLC continues to provide excellent support and training as we try to provide the best assistance to the most valued part of the AACLC, our Students!!!
Bob and Mary Anne Stoner
Anne Arundel Literacy Council has given me the opportunity to "give back to the community" by sharing my passion for reading and beading. This semester, I served as a volunteer for ESOL client, Ms. Winnie Chan. Ms. Chan really blossomed from shy to a savvy. I also led a beading club where one of the high school students made beaded bracelets to raise funds for the Literacy Council. When I asked her why this was important to her she said, "Because it's good to do something for the less fortunate."
The AALC is a hidden gem in the County. The work they do to provide literacy and math training to adults is hugely rewarding. If you heard the gratitude of students that can get their GED, find a job and read to their children and grandchildren, you'd understand how critical the AALC is. The key route out of poverty is literacy - the beauty is that no one can take it away.
The Anne Arundel County Literacy Council, once the best-kept secret locally, is now recognized as a premier non-profit in our community. One of the most significant ways it serves our community is through its contribution to diversity. Anne Arundel County, along with all of Maryland and, indeed, our country nationwide, is becoming more diverse each day. All of us recognize the importance of good communication in fostering understanding, tolerance and shared values among the varied people of our community. And good communication demands literacy. Only a literate society can extract the commonalities among varied diverse groups to bring them together in a way that honors diversity while celebrating unity. Anne Arundel County Literacy Council is to be commended for its stellar service in addressing the literacy needs of our community.
The AACLC has a very dedicated and passionate staff devoted to helping any individuals in the county needing literacy assistance. This dedication is matched by the volunteers who spend countless hours assisting in reading and sometimes in other skills necessary for success in life. The AACLC is an organization truly committed to improving our community and it deserves recognition for the long-term positive impact it has on both volunteers and students.
The Anne Arundel County Literacy Council has great impact in the community. Beyond the boats on the Chesapeake Bay and the historic downtown of Annapolis are pockets of economic struggle, with inadequate literacy skills posing a hurdle for many. The Council is run by people committed to lifting the community, bringing together those who desire to lend a hand with those willing to take that hand and climb the rungs of personal aspiration.
Lisa Vernon and the entire staff at AACLC have been instrumental and supportive in providing an effective means for volunteers to help students, ending illiteracy one student at a time. Volunteering is apparently in their blood, dedication and professionalism shines through.
Kudos to Lisa Vernon and the AACLC, INC staff. What a great group of volunteers. I just received excellent training to be a reading tutor and cannot wait to give of my time and talent to the organization and to those who are less educated for whatever reason so that they can better navigate our daily living.
The AACLC is a truly committed volunteer organization with a focus on empowering adults and improving their lives through literacy training. I joined as a volunteer a few months back and have been extremely impressed by the very dedicated organizing team. Their warmth and compassion as well as attention to detail benefit the students and tutors making it a wonderful experience for both. I am truly lucky to have had the opportunity to volunteer with the AACLC and look forward to a long collaboration with them.
I worked with the AACLC to tutor an ELS student. Watching the commitment and the effect that the organization has, I was glad that I could be apart of it. I'm not sure who gets the most from the experience, the tutors are so dedicated, or the student who is also dedicated.
AACLC truly changes lives in deep, meaningful and lasting ways. Literacy skills are not just about learning to read, they are about learning to think, being able to articulate goals and persevere to achieve them. AACLC recognizes that "teaching people to fish" is a process that takes time and guidance. When the two come together - caring tutors with committed tutees - lives change in both measurable and immeasurable ways. AACLC is not just changing lives, AACLC is changing society one life at a time.
The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001 was created by the federal government to address reading and math issues students in elementary and secondary schools have to ensure a fair, equal, and significant opportunity to obtain a high-quality education. "Children who learn to read well early in life are more likely to be engaged in school and experience academic success. A deficiency in reading skills impacts achievement in all other areas of education.”(U.S. DOE)
The NCLB addresses issues inside the school system, but what about students and adults of any age who may have left the school system without learning to read well? Those who might not have gotten the individualized attention that they needed to become life-long learners and readers can get that attention from tutors in the Anne Arundel County Literacy Council (AACLC). The AACLC provides personalized assessments for participants, training for volunteer tutors, and resource materials for both within the program.
Perhaps the AACLC should be known as the No Adult Left Behind Agency of 2015!
I noticed that people who cannot read, write, or speak proper English feel ashamed of that. The Literacy Council gives them a chance to improve their quality of life and become an equal member of the society .
The literacy council provides a wonderful opportunity for us to share our love of reading and commitment to literacy with others who have a desire to improve their reading skills. It is a joy to see their excitement as reading becomes an important part of their lives. All of this is done at no cost to the participant. What a gift!
I have had the privilege of helping AACLC with their website for two or three years, and I continue to be amazed at how active, committed, and engaged its volunteers and supporters are.
Every month there are new "Success Stories" of lives changed, and often those lives are not just the students, but the tutors as well. I have an inside glimpse of how many hours of dedicated service are put into this organization, and it is staggering.
If you are a potential donor with a heart for changing lives, especially if you live in the Anne Arundel County area, there could be no better organization for you to consider supporting.
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I have worked with the board and staff of AACLC to help them revitalize their website. Without exception, I found them to be dedicated, well-trained, knowledgeable, and passionate about their organization's mission. Anne Arundel County is fortunate to have such a vibrant group performing such a vital service.
I am currently working with a 20 year old young man who dropped out of high school after the tenth grade. I cannot praise too highly the quality & quantity of support I receive from those in charge of AACLC: E-mails with suggestions for different techniques and new resources, seminars on specific topics, continuing training opportunities, and responses to e-mail queries within minutes. AACLC even sponsored a dinner party with a motivational speaker for students and tutors earlier this month.
When I started with this student, six months ago, he really couldn't read at all! Meeting twice a week and using the Laubach method prescribed by AACLC, he has completed Book 1 and is truly able to read fluently the materials provided with confidence. That AACLC provides all materials to students and tutors at no charge is amazing. The gift of the tools needed to learn to read truly enhances their value. My student and I are proud of his progress and look forward to broadening and refining his skills.
