Literacy Volunteers Fox Valley receives national accreditation

On Feb. 14, Literacy Volunteers Fox Valley was awarded accredited status by ProLiteracy. It has served central Kane County for 28 years helping adults read, write, speak, and understand English more effectively.

"We are proud to add Literacy Volunteers Fox Valley to our growing list of accredited organizations," said Peter Waite, vice president of programs. "They have demonstrated that their program meets the highest national standards for volunteer literacy programs and that their services to the community are effective.

"We applaud the many volunteers, staff, and students who have devoted their time and effort to achieve this goal," he said.

ProLiteracy's Accreditation provides literacy programs with a comprehensive process for conducting an organizational self-assessment. A program must demonstrate that it meets and exceeds 16 standards. Only one-third of ProLiteracy's nationwide affiliates have achieved this designation. This places Literacy Volunteers Fox Valley among an elite group of affiliates that are distinguished by superior professional leadership, effective programs, committed governing boards and outstanding volunteer support.

Literacy Volunteers Fox Valley's mission is to help adults acquire the English literacy skills that they need to function more effectively in contemporary U.S. society. They want to equip and empower individuals who are otherwise unable to participate fully in the local community. Through trained volunteers and organizational staff, they offer one-to-one tutoring focusing on reading, writing, speaking and understanding English. They are based at the St. Charles Public Library.

ProLiteracy is a nonprofit educational organization that supports local literacy programs through a national network of approximately 130,000 volunteers and 1,000 local, state, and regional literacy providers in the U.S. ProLiteracy's purpose is to sponsor educational programs and services whose purpose is to empower adults and their families by helping them acquire the literacy practices and skills they need to function more effectively in their daily lives and participate in the transformation of their societies. ProLiteracy was formed in 2002 by a merger between Laubach Literacy International and Literacy Volunteers of America, Inc.

For more information about Literacy Volunteers Fox Valley, visit www.lvfv.org. For more information about Literacy Volunteers Fox Valley, visit www.proliteracy.org.