Literacy Volunteers of Tucson

If you are able to read this blog, analyze it and compare it to other material then you possess a skill that 43 percent of the nations’ population that do not have, the ability to read.  

“A lot of adults in Tucson, of different cultures, do not know how to read or write English,” said Melisa DeNinno, Communications and Volunteer Coordinator for the Literacy Volunteers of Tucson (LVT).”

LTV is a non-profit agency that is dedicated to teaching adults to read and write English through two kinds of semester long classes.  The classes are free, are specialized for adults who read at or below a sixth-grade level, and are held in groups at LTV 23 different centers, four days a week. 

The sign Literacy Volunteers of Tucson outside their office at 2850 E Speedway.

The first class is a Basic  Literacy program for English speakers who need to improve their reading and writings skills. This section of classes is taught one-on-one a few times a week. The second class is called English Language Acquisition for Adults. The class is designed for adults whose first language is not English.

““Tucson has a huge refugee population who are not native English speakers,” said DeNinno. “We work with the very basic of students. Many of our classes fill up quickly.”

In the last three years LTV has seen its student triple in size to over 1,700 but the growth has made LTV reach its capacity. LTV has over 400 volunteers but only 8 full time members due of the lack of funding.

 LTV is not a State funded program which makes it so that they have to raise their own funding through fundraising and donators

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“Currently we have around 900 donors,” said DeNinno. “The building we are in now was actually donated so we could run our operation for the next three years.”

If LTV were able to raise more funding then they could create more centers, hire more staff and get a permitted space.  In addition, LTV would be able to train more volunteers.

“We need committed volunteers,” said DeNinno. “It costs us around 350 dollars to train our volunteers. We are searching for volunteers who are on board with are vision and can commit a year to this experience and are committed to making a change.”

If you would like to learn more information or volunteer then please attend LTV’s open house on Friday, February 5 from 3-6pm at 2850 E Speedway. You can also make donations at http://www.lovetoread.org/index.html.