ACCCESS Program Volunteer Earns Statewide Honor as Literacy Champion

ACCCESS Program volunteer tutor, Rafi Chaprut of Centerville, has been chosen as one of nine Massachusetts Literacy Champions by the Mass. Literacy Foundation in partnership with Verizon, and The Boston Herald. 

ACCCESS Program Director Phyllis Whitney expressed great pride in both the volunteer service and the awardee’s honors, noting that he began a new conversational English class for students in ACCCESS last year and now has become a classroom volunteer. 

The honoree, according to the Program Director, understands his student very well, since he’s been forced to learn new languages and cultures throughout his life. He was born in Turkey, moved to Israel after high school and lived and worked there before emigrating to the U.S. in 1990. He retired as a Managing Director of Information Technology at Putnam Investments.

In the ACCCESS program Rafi has worked one on one with ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) students, as an ESOL classroom volunteer, and now is responsible (as a volunteer) for a conversation classes with ACCCESS students, designed to increase their English fluency.  

On the award application to Verizon, Rafi himself wrote, “Giving back to society was my major incentive in being involved in ESOL.  In my lifetime, I have experienced the same difficulties as the new immigrant students are experiencing.  As a young adult I moved to Israel from Turkey and had to learn a whole new language in order to study at the University.  Again, when I moved from Israel to the U.S., I had to learn not just the language but enough to articulate and converse in a business environment.  I knew that In order to achieve my goals faster I needed to be proficient in English.  Because I was fortunate enough to overcome the hurdles and succeed, I feel now it is my turn to help others to achieve their goals providing them with the appropriate and necessary tools.” 

This program, sponsored by Verizon and the Boston Herald, comes with a monetary award totaling $3,500 for professional development for both the individual and the nominating program. Funds come from a voluntary contribution option offered to Verizon customers through their monthly billings.

Information provided by a Cape Cod Community College newsletter.