Literacy Center seeks women volunteer tutors

Aurora's Dominican Literacy Center seeks women volunteers to tutor women in reading, writing and speaking English.

Volunteers must have a high school diploma. Tutors need not be bilingual or have teaching experience. Tutoring is done in English.

Alison Brzezinski, tutoring coordinator, said new-tutor training is set from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Aug. 16, 18, 23 and 25, at the center, 260 Vermont St. in Aurora. Individual tutoring sessions start Sept. 7.

Training covers curriculum, preparing lesson plans, teaching students from foreign cultures and center history. Ongoing support is offered by staff members Sister Kathleen Ryan, DLC director; and Sister Jane Ann Beckman, instructor.

Tutors select a weekly tutoring time which fits their schedules. About 125 tutors meet weekly with students for 90 minutes. Teaching tools are English as a second language books, writing exercises, conversation practice, grammar exercises and computer materials. Students are also invited to twice-weekly conversation classes.

Completing three years of studies, 40 students graduated from the Dominican Literacy Center in June.

To volunteer or for more information, contact Brzezinski at (630) 898-4636 or Alison@dominicanliteracycenter.org.

The Dominican Literacy Center was founded in 1993 by sisters of the Dominican order with four students. It offers women from age 17 free 90-minute classes in reading, writing and speaking English, from September through May. A book fee is $25. The center currently serves about 200 students. Since its inception, the nonprofit has provided 2,600 local women with free, personalized literacy tutoring.

Additionally, the center holds free group classes to prepare immigrants for the U.S. citizenship test. Hundreds have obtained citizenship since classes began in 1998.