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Diablo Valley Literacy Council Newsletter
Volunteers teaching English as a second language (ESL) to non English speaking adults
Calendar

February
Board Meeting 
Friday, February 9
10:00 am

March
ESL Training Workshop
Two Saturday Sessions
March 3 and March 10
9 am - 1:30 pm

Board Meeting
Thursday, March 8
10 am

April
Board Meeting 
Thursday, April 12
10 am
(subject to change)

Time Again to
Report Your Hours
A few people have not yet reported their quarterly hours from October through December. If you are one of those You can call in your hours to 925-685-3881 or email to dvlc4esl@gmail.com  

Report your Tutoring hours and Nontutoring Hours (time spent for preparation, travel to student and tutor training).

Remember to Pay Your Membership Dues
If you haven't already done so, remember to pay your 2018 membership dues. It's a great way to show your support for DVLC, and we use the dues to pay for items needed to support our tutoring program.  Please send a check for $15 to DVLC, 4000 Clayton Rd., Concord, CA 94521
 

DVLC Directory
Email:   DVLC4ESL@gmail.com  
Voicemail: 925-685-3881
 
Officers:

President and Web Master
Lucy Goodell 
 
Vice-President and Publicity
Loretta Morrison
 
Secretary
Mary Thomas

Treasurer and Telephone Committee
Joanne Hill

Board of Directors: 

Database Manager
Jim Keenan
 
Hospitality and Volunteers
Ela Newacheck
 
Hours Coordinator
Rachel Sanborn
 
Librarian
Mary Nash
 
Newsletter Coordinator
Victor Tiglao
 
Special Projects
Denise Coyne     
 
Student/Tutor Coordinator
Holly Sprague
 
Workshop Registrar
Wendy Bojin-Liston
 
Workshop Training Coordinator
Kris Torske

Members at Large:

Ed Chambers
 
Marion Keibel

Winter 2018
Vol. 32  No.1
Dear Members and Friends,

What a fun Potluck we had in December with tutors and their students! See the article in this newsletter about the festivities. Following that was the well-attended lively Annual Member Get-Together on January 27th

Diablo Valley Literacy Council had a banner year in 2017 in gaining volunteer tutors for our program. Every year we offer two workshops to bring new tutors on board. In the past the number of new tutors typically matched the number leaving, more or less, and our active tutor force hovered between 70 and 80 people working one-on-one with individuals wanting to improve their English as a second language.

Our problem has always been that we have more students waiting for ESL tutors than we have tutors to serve them. Last year we had an influx of people who wanted to step up and help those who are struggling with their English. We had more people register for our spring workshop than we normally have for both workshops combined.  We even had to ask some to wait until the fall workshop, which was also well-attended.

We now have over 100 individuals prepared to tutor English as a Second Language. Our waiting list of students is greatly diminished and in fact we need to add more students to be ready to match to our new volunteers in March. For the first time we need to focus on getting the word out to the hundreds of people in Diablo Valley who would love to take advantage of what we have to offer if they only knew about us. English learners may sign up for a tutor at dvlc4esl.org by clicking on the link For Adult Learners and then clicking on Request. If you are aware of an adult who could benefit from ESL tutoring, please let them know how to request a tutor.

Keep up the amazing work everybody has been doing and we can reach even more worthy individuals in 2018.

Lucy Goodell
President

ESL Tutor Training  Workshop
ESL TUTOR TRAINING WORKSHOP

The Diablo Valley Literacy Council  welcomes volunteers to tutor adults in English

We need tutors who can commit to 1 or 2 hours of tutoring per week on a regular basis.

We provide training, match you to a student and help start your 1-on-1 tutoring.

Where: 
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 4000 Clayton Road, Concord

When:
Two Saturday sessions: March 3 & 10, 2018 ( 9 AM to 1:00 PM)

Cost: $20 registration fee if paid before March 3, 2018


Continental brunch included

For more information or to sign up click on VOLUNTEER TO TUTOR

Alternatively you may leave a message at (925) 685-3881.

Holiday Potluck Luncheon
With over 50 people in attendance, this year's Holiday Luncheon on December 2 was a wonderful kick-off to the holiday season.  The tables were bursting with delectable foods from around the world cooked by our tutors and students.  

After filling our stomachs we heard from quite a few students who expressed their sincere gratitude to their tutors.  It was wonderful to hear the impact one tutor can make in the life of a student and sometimes their whole family. 

A surprise awaited us as we began to enjoy the dessert table...Santa Claus himself arrived to hand out books to the children in attendance.  The children enjoyed sitting on Santa's lap, but so did the adults!  Cameras came out and everyone enjoyed a personal visit with Santa.  If you didn't attend this year, we hope to see you in 2018.


Wells Fargo Volunteer Fair
Wells Fargo encourages their employees to volunteer their time in the community.  To accomplish this lofty goal they gather non-profit organizations from around the county in the Fall to come to their facility to educate and 'recruit' their employees.  Diablo Valley Literacy Council was again invited, so Mary Thomas, Rachel Sanborn and Ela Newacheck brought brochures, flyers and enthusiasm to the event in October.  They gathered names of seven interested persons, one of whom has already registered for the Spring Training.  Thank you Wells Fargo for realizing the value of volunteerism in the community and including DVLC. 


Tutor/Student Social Dining
Would your student benefit from additional exposure to conversational English?

Organizational meeting on Saturday, February 3 at 11:00 am. for gathering ideas, forming dining groups and answering questions.

If you are interested, please send an e-mail to dvlc4esl@gmail.com and note in the subject line "Tutor-Student Social Dining".

Please Return Unused Books to the Library
Please return DVLC books that you are no longer using so that we can keep our library stocked and avoid the need to purchase more books. The Laubach, Side by Side and Azar books are in demand!   
   
Books may be returned to the DVLC self-service library during the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church office hours from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, Monday thru Friday. Alternatively, you can email our librarian, Mary Nash, at  mpnash@aol.com  and make arrangements to drop the books at her home in Walnut Creek. 



We'd love to hear from you!  Email your questions or comments to Diablo Valley Literacy Council at:   dvlc4esl@gmail.com 
   
See our updated website: