A long-time resident of Montgomery County, Andrew B. has served the Literacy NRV community in many ways during his time volunteering with us. Whether participating as an LNRV board of directors member, helping with office data management, or tutoring English language learners, Andrew is dedicated to changing lives through literacy in our community.
We asked Andrew to share some thoughts about his experiences working with LNRV:
What inspired you to volunteer for Literacy NRV and how long have you been volunteering with us?
I started volunteering in 2017/2018 because I wanted to enable others to achieve their goals through learning. I have always felt that if you read you can learn and if you can learn you can do ANYTHING. I have had a love of books for over 30 years and hope to pass that along to my students.
What’s your favorite thing about volunteering with Literacy NRV?
My students. I've had the privilege of working with 2 students for 3 & 5 years respectively. Getting to know them and their family history, their culture, and dreams has come to be a highlight of my week.
What would you say to someone who’s thinking about volunteering?
You CAN make a difference in someone's life.
What experience in tutoring was surprising or unexpected? How did it work out?
Getting used to the necessary flexibility that comes along with working with folks who work very long hours and have family and everything else that comes with everyday life. Therefore we must adapt. Early on, this frustrated me, but now I've come to understand and expect that being flexible needs to be baked into the expectations.
How has tutoring impacted other parts of your life?
Humility. When I think about the sacrifices my students made to come to this country to work long hours and THEN they take time during their scant time off to learn, it truly humbles me and makes me proud to know them.
What successes have you seen in your students while tutoring with LNRV?
One of my students has progressed from rudimentary English communication skills to being the go-to guy in his community when other need help navigating the English speaking world around them. He's passed his Math GED and we're working on the Language Arts part now.
We're so grateful for Andrew's life-changing support! Join one of our upcoming Volunteer Information Sessions to learn more about how YOU can change a life, too!
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