Neighbor News
Two Monmouth County Residents Honored at Literacy NJ Conference
Literacy NJ Provides Free Adult Literacy Services Around the State
Two Monmouth County residents were honored recently for their efforts to advance adult literacy.
Literacy NJ -- which provides free adult literacy programs and U.S. citizenship classes in eight New Jersey counties -- presented the awards at its annual Literacy for Life Conference at Mercer County College in West Windsor. The event on April 22 brought together 200 students, tutors, adult educators and board members from across the state for a day of professional development.
“Our annual Literacy for Life Conference is an opportunity for students, tutors, educators and board members to learn new skills, share experiences, and celebrate the success of our students,” Literacy NJ CEO Elizabeth Gloeggler said. “It is always energizing and exciting to spend the day with students and educators who share a common goal: improving adult literacy in New Jersey. Our participants tell us they leave not only with new ideas but also inspired and with a renewed sense of purpose.”
Adult learner Justin Farro of West Long Branch received Literacy NJ’s 2017 Student Excellence Award, and adult literacy tutor Susan George of Howell received the 2017 Award for Tutor Excellence.
Justin struggled with learning difficulties as a child, but he never lost his desire to learn. He came to Literacy NJ’s affiliate, Literacy Volunteers - Monmouth, in 2015 to improve his writing and math skills. In spite of Justin’s difficult work schedule, he committed to attending to LV-Monmouth’s Project Success for four hours a week, working one evening a week on math and one evening on reading and writing.
Justin has made tremendous progress and recently achieved his goal of writing a letter to a friend using correct spelling and punctuation. Justin writes more comfortably and is able to write reports at work and fill out forms. His vocabulary has also improved, and his friends have noticed that he speaks with more confidence.
As Justin’s confidence has grown so has his involvement with LV-Monmouth. He encourages other students, gives them rides to class in bad weather and brings treats to share. If a student misses class, Justin calls to make sure they keep coming back. He shows other students that although learning may be difficult, by making a commitment he has gained writing and math skills.
A former elementary teacher and currently an ESL teacher at Brookdale Community College, Susan George became an adult literacy volunteer tutor in 2004. Susan started LV-Monmouth’s Project Success program in 2013 which helps adults gain the skills needed to enroll in a GED or ABE course at the local community college.
Project Success offers students individual attention and helps them work at their own pace. The program has grown to include adults who were below a 5th grade level in reading and math, in hopes of helping the students make the gains needed to enroll in Adult Basic Education (ABE) classes.
Susan has made a difference in the lives of many of her students, helping them improve their scores so they could enter the GED or ABE programs, or attend the Learning Link at the Monmouth County Workforce Development to get job training. Because of Susan’s patience and encouragement, students have met their goals and continued on to further their education or job skills training.
Other honors at the conference included: the Alice M. Leppert Award for Outstanding Affiliate, which was presented to Literacy Volunteers of Salem/Cumberland, and the Harry Van Houten Award for Lifetime Achievement, which was given to Perrine Robinson-Geller of Millburn. An additional 2017 Student Excellence Award was presented to Maritza Chang of Belleville.
Literacy NJ is grateful to the conference sponsors, including Carpenters Contractor Trust NY/NJ; NJ Natural Gas; NJEA; Withum, Smith & Brown; Thor Labs; Maser Consulting P.A.; and Northeast Regional Council of Carpenters.
Literacy NJ’s statewide network provides free instruction in reading, writing, math and speaking English to more than 5,700 adults each year throughout New Jersey. Founded in 1979, Literacy NJ and its affiliates engage, train and support 2,000 volunteers who offer these services, including one-to-one tutoring and classes in adult ESL, GED, and U.S. citizenship.
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