When You Support Literacy, Everybody Wins!
FAQ's About Volunteering
| Q | What volunteer opportunities are there with LVCC other than tutoring? |
| A | Since LVCC has only three paid staff members, there are various activities and functions that volunteers can perform at LVCC to help us fulfill our mission. In the office, we often can use help with the many mailings that we make throughout the year to inform tutors and volunteers of what is happening, to let people know about special events (like our fund raising efforts), to solicit donations and contributions to fund our efforts, and so forth. Copying and collating the mailings, stuffing envelops, and applying postage are very useful volunteer contributions. At times filing, typing, answering phones, taking messages, returning calls, and greeting visitors would be the assistance required. We have a small library which is available to our tutors to help them with their efforts, and we welcome assistance from those that have some library or language teaching skills and experience to organize our holdings and help our tutors in choosing materials. We also welcome monitors to help in our computer language lab. At times our staff could use some assistance in preparing for tutor workshops by helping to setup the training area and ensure the needed materials are ready. Outside the office, we often need additional help with the special events that help raise funds, such as the annual golf tournament and the Christmas holiday Barnes and Noble Gift Wrapping program. |
| Q | How much time would I have to spend as a volunteer? |
| A | Whatever amount you like. There are no set time requirements. You are helping us immensely by providing your time and effort, and we appreciate any time you can give us. So whatever your schedule allows is all we ask. Stop by, call, or email the office to see what volunteer efforts might be needed and how long it might take, or to offer your services. It would help us better utilize your efforts if you could inform us as to what days and/or times you are most likely to be available to volunteer. If you want to be put in our active volunteer file, we can let you know via email or regular mail of upcoming volunteer opportunities. |
| Q | I know you have training workshops for your tutors. Is there any required training or experience necessary to be a volunteer? |
| A | No. We will be happy to use what skills and talents you bring with you. If your interests were to lean toward assisting with the computer language lab, we would prefer that you get a quick introduction to the program in order to best assist the students, but otherwise there is no required training or experience necessary to volunteer. |
| Q | Can you provide more detail about your computer language lab and the type of help needed? |
| A | LVCC is fortunate to have E.L.L.I.S. computer software for our students to use. That stands for "English Language and Learning Instruction System." It is a self-paced computerized ESL program ranging from very basic to advanced levels of English instruction involving graphic, video, sound, and recording capabilities to help teach speaking, listening, pronunciation, and comprehension skills. It is very popular with our students. Currently the lab is open during regular business hours (9 AM to 4 PM Monday through Friday) for students already enrolled in the ELLIS program and who can use the system on their own. For new students and those requiring additional introduction assistance with the system, the lab is open with volunteer monitors and instructors on Tuesdays and Thursday from 3 to 7 PM and on Saturdays from 11 AM to 2 PM. Because many of our students have jobs and can not use the lab during regular working hours, we would like to be able to expand our late afternoon/early evening as well as Saturday hours in order to provide them with hours more compatible with their schedules. Our current volunteers are stretched thin and can not take on more responsibility, so we are looking for additional volunteers to help monitor and instruct during non-office hours. The ELLIS system is relatively easy to learn and simple to use. New volunteers need only have a short instructional overview from our chief computer lab volunteer in order to assist. |
