My Nonprofit Reviews

I have been on the Board of the Literacy Council of Northern Virginia since 2007. Over those 15 years, the one attribute that stands out to me is the quality of leadership and commitment exhibited by the staff, volunteers, and Board members I’ve served with.

Over the last 6 or 7 years, a new program, Destination Workforce, has shown LCNV’s ability to rethink how its mission can be accomplished in more innovative ways. This program conducts literacy classes on-site at participating workplaces, such as nursing homes, hotels and restaurants, focusing on the vocabulary that the workers need to perform their jobs more effectively.

Possibly the most impressive example of the agility of this organization has been its handling of the pandemic over the last couple of years. When Covid struck for real in 2020, the staff was able to switch classes to virtual mode, and the volunteers were able to do whatever was necessary to keep the programs running.

The importance of the work done by LCNV is made obvious every year during the Annual Recognition Ceremony. Students are encouraged to write short essays about how learning English has been important to them, or has changed their lives. Many of these essays are available on the LCNV web site. The one that has always stuck with me is the woman who listed several things that she was able to do as a result of her new language ability. One of them was to leave an abusive husband. Yes, learning English for these students can indeed be empowering.

I am extremely proud to be involved with this organization and will continue to do whatever I can to help it continue to serve those in need.