Many at the university contribute to local Literacy Volunteers program

Marilu Del Toro '97

Consistent with the university's commitment to the larger community, Cornell personnel actively participate in off-campus teaching efforts that benefit Literacy Volunteers of Tompkins County.

Cornell staff and students alike volunteer as literacy tutors for the agency. Executive Director Valorie Rockney said university staff members also are helpful in other ways, including teaching workshops, helping with technology development and offering consulting services.

Literacy Volunteers provides area adults with free, confidential tutoring by trained volunteers in basic reading and writing, as well as English to speakers of other languages (ESOL), for permanent residents. The agency also offers workshops on how to recognize, talk with and help people with reading and writing difficulties. In addition, it can help organizations design publications for people with low reading levels.

Last year, Literacy Volunteers served about 100 county residents. With the help of trained, supervised volunteers, adult participants set individual goals and worked to achieve them. Those goals included completing job applications and writing to their children's teachers. Over 90 percent of the agency's adult students met at least one short-term goal.

"It's very heartening to see the community coming together and volunteers making a real difference in people's lives," Rockney said.

The consistent participation from Cornell students and staff in the agency is characteristic of the overall community's distinctively supportive attitude.

Keeping its technology in sync with its clients' needs, Literacy Volunteers' current projects include the development of educational, interactive multimedia software and the construction of a World Wide Web page to publish student writings.

Literacy Volunteers is a member agency of Tompkins County United Way. This article appears courtesy of the 1996 Cornell United Way Campaign. Cornell United Way Campaign information is available on the Web at http://www.gsm.cornell.edu/unitedway/ , or from Rhonda Velazquez at rhv2@cornell.edu or by phone at 255-6418.