Literacy Volunteers of Randolph County

The Literacy Volunteers of Randolph County was founded in 1984 to promote and foster literacy in Randolph County, WV through volunteer teaching programs to individuals who wish to improve literacy. The organization has steadily and consistently provided tutoring in basic reading and writing skills to the under-educated adults of Randolph County. In addition, it has often served students from the adjoining counties when the programs in those counties were unable to provide services. Recently, the organization has added English as a Second Language classes to its services to help the increasing number of non-native English speakers to our locale.Past, Present, and Future We have had several outstanding programs which serve children and families as well. For several years, we held March into Reading programs to interest children in reading. We included a Book Walk, like a cake walk, to get books into the hands of children. For three years, we held Family Literacy programs in the summer, serving the outlying communities of the county with story hours, crafts, and information about reading for the parents. And in 2010, we held a day camp for rising Middle School students, which utilized a Civil War theme, and involved the Beverly Heritage Center. For this, we were chosen Program of the Year for Literacy West Virginia.

As a project in 2013-2015, we have been carrying out an extensive needs assessment survey. We used our contacts in the Rotary and Chamber of Commerce, and asked what these business people felt were the literacy needs of the community. We learned from the survey that there was a very strong expressed need for communication skills. This does include reading, but also includes customer service skills, telephone skills, employee -staff skills, and conflict management skills. When we saw the Tech Center’s plan for the virtual workplace, we felt that our plans for communication skills could fit right into this scheme. Planning is going forward toward offering help to the students with low reading skills.

Recently, we held a Read-a-thon for students in the elementary schools of our county. While the purpose of this was frankly to raise funds for the literacy program, it also motivated children to read more. The schools with the greatest percentage of participating children won money prizes for their libraries. Members of the Literacy Volunteers of Randolph County works hard on including students (a student serves on the board) in what we do, and always end the year with a picnic for students, board members, and tutors.