Organization Profile

Literacy Volunteers of Union County has served the communities of Union County, New Jersey for over 15 years. More than 100 volunteer tutors now give reading assistance to more than 200 students. Some highlights from the past are summarized below.

1987-     Literacy Volunteers of America - Union County was formed. The organization was based in Cranford.

1991-     LVA-UC moved its main office to the Elizabeth Public Library. The first grant from the Department of Education was awarded to the affiliate with the purpose of increasing the student base.

1992-     The LV-UC affiliate was formally established and its headquarters was moved to a private facility in Linden. There were 5 Tutor Trainers and tutors were provided to 100 students with 84 matches reaching the 12-hour certification limit. Satellite agreements were established with the Elizabeth and Union libraries.

1993-     The first paid position was created by the affiliate. The LV-UC newsletter was created. There were 124 active matches of which 100 reached the 12-hour certification limit. Over 137 tutors were certified in 12 tutor training workshops.

1994-     In-service workshops were added to the suite of support services offered by the affiliate to the tutor population. There were 187 active matches of which 125 reached the 12-hour certification limit

1995-     A second paid position was created by the affiliate, the Field Services Coordinator. This position allowed the affiliate to perform a full assessment of all students entering the program. The "Literacy Library Days" program was established which enabled LVA-UC to spend time throughout the county testing and evaluating new students and meeting with tutors. There were 150 active matches of which 100 reached the 12-hour certification limit

1996-     Hillside became a satellite of the affiliate. The number of certified tutor-student matches was 187. There were 10 certified tutor trainers.

1998-     LV-UC assumed responsibility of lead agency to the Elizabeth Public Library, administering and overseeing their literacy program. Additional paid staff were hired to support this initiative.

1999-     LV-UC became a member agency of United Way.

2000-     LV-UC received its first United Way Grant. LV-UC earned its accreditation from its parent organization, Literacy Volunteers of America and three policies were cited by the organization as "best practices".

2001-     The position of Executive Director was created. The first Combined ESL/Basic Literacy workshop was offered to tutors.

2002-     LV-UC entered into exciting new relationships. A cooperative ESL/Civics Education program was started with Urban Workforce Advantage in Elizabeth, NJ. Special outreach programs were started with the Elizabeth Housing Authority and Head Start of Elizabeth. LV-UC received its first Department of Education Civics Grant in partnership with Urban Workforce Advantage. The number of certified student/tutor matches topped 225. The number of active tutors topped 125.

2004-     The organization's charter was modified to reflect the merger of Literacy Volunteers of America with Laubach Literacy International to create ProLiteracy Worldwide. LV-UC's efforts and contributions are recognized as it is named the first "New Jersey Affiliate of the Year" within the scope of the combined organization.

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