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Literacy Council Volunteer Honored for
Commitment to Adult Learners
Hyattsville (March 25, 2008) – Four years and
300 volunteer hours ago, Emerencia Viray began
meeting her student -- a local Prince George's
County resident -- once a week in the Greenbelt
Library for one-on-one instruction in English
language. Since then, her student has earned a
Master of Musical Arts, Chamber Music, from
Catholic University and Ms. Viray herself will
be lauded this week at the 2008 LiteracyCares
Award of Excellence Gala at the Capital Hilton
for her exceptional contributions in the area of
adult literacy tutoring.
“Being a volunteer tutor has been enjoyable as
well as enlightening. The experience so often
goes beyond the classroom," said Ms. Viray, a
tutor with the Literacy Council of Prince
George's County. "In working with my student to
reach her goal of improving her speaking,
reading, and writing skills, we have gone beyond
the actual tutoring to discuss music, attend
concerts, and ride the bus and train together so
she could familiarize herself with the system."
Ms. Viray began volunteering with the Literacy
Council of Prince George's County, the primary
non-profit organization for the advocacy and
implementation of adult literacy programs in the
county, after retiring from the World Bank. The
Literacy Council's adult literacy program works
with 1,600 learners a year through a
highly-individualized tutoring program,
classroom-based instruction, GED preparation,
the External Diploma Program, English for
Speakers of Other Languages, and
computer-assisted instruction. All classes and
tutoring are provided at no cost to learners.
Though not an educator by profession, Ms. Viray
decided to complete the Literacy Council's
tutor-training and dedicate at least two hours a
week for six months. Ms. Viray is now four years
into her tenure as a tutor with the Literacy
Council and has helped her student progress from
conversation and pronunciation to reading and
writing in English. They are currently reading
"The Purpose-Driven Life" together.
"There is no magic formula or quick fix for
helping adults master the essentials of reading,
writing, and speaking English, but the
dedication of tutors like Ms. Viray does change
lives. Tutors help open doors for students who
have been stuck in the shadows so that they can
become fully engaged, literate community
participants," said Gail Drake, Executive
Director of the Literacy Council. "We are always
in need of tutors who are committed like Ms.
Viray."
The need for adult literacy tutors in the county
has never been more apparent. More than
one-fourth of adults in Prince George's County
function at the lowest levels of literacy,
according to the National Assessment of Adult
Literacy. And almost half of the county's
141,881 foreign-born residents describe
themselves as speaking English "less than very
well."
The Literacy Council will hold tutor-training
workshop series in April and May to prepare
potential tutors to use state-of-the-art
instructional methods to help adult learners
improve comprehension of written materials,
write letters, strengthen basic math skills, or
address challenging materials needed to advance
in their studies or for work. The Literacy
Council has conducted more than 250
tutor-training workshops and trained more than
3,000 tutors to begin working with adult
learners since its establishment in 1963. For
details about upcoming trainings, call
301.699.9770 or visit
www.literacycouncil.org.
The Literacy Council of Prince George’s County,
MD, empowers adult learners to realize their
full potential as contributing members of their
families and communities by providing services
in acquiring, improving, and applying basic
literacy skills. The Council is the county’s
primary non-profit organization for the advocacy
and implementation of adult literacy programs.
To learn more about
the Literacy Council of Prince George’s County,
visit
www.literacycouncil.org.
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