Moving Forward in Fall
Together we are adjusting to the current Covid-19 environment. We thank our volunteer tutors for their commitment to serving our community during this crucial time. The SFCC Campus remains closed; however, our coordinators and staff are still available to support you. With the safety of tutors and students as a priority, we encourage tutors to support their students through tutoring online or even over the phone.
Our Basic Literacy Coordinator, Susan Rathjen, has trained several Basic Literacy tutors in the use of Essential Education as an online tool for tutoring students who are focused on improving their basic reading, writing and math skills.
Many ESL and workplace tutors are engaging their students through the use of platforms such as Zoom or FaceTime. Nancy, a workplace tutor, was accustomed to meeting with her student at her workplace in order to practice pronunciation, work on grammar and develop the professional vocabulary her student needs for her career. Following the Covid-19 health crisis, Nancy and her student choose to continue to connect through Zoom. Nancy’s student reports that she and her tutor have found the virtual tutoring convenient and very effective for practicing and developing the English skills she needs for her work.
With funding we have recently received from the Santa Fe Community Foundation, LVSF will be purchasing computers to assign to LVSF students who are in need of the resources to participate in remote tutoring. By equipping students with devices, we look forward to supporting more students in advancing their skills.
If you are interested in working with a student remotely, please contact our office at 505-428-1353. Our coordinators are now matching tutors and students through virtual match meetings. Our coordinators are also available if you need support in getting started with an online tutoring program.
Thank You for Your Generosity
Summer Campaign and LVSF Online Silent Auction
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, LVSF faced a severe challenge to our programs because key funding resources upon which we rely had informed us of significant cuts to our grants because of their own budget cuts and/or changes in funding priorities. At the same time, many of our students were in a dire situation caused by the pandemic and needed our services more than ever to gain the knowledge of how to access important information about the pandemic and resources that can help them manage its impacts; to support their children’s remote learning, and to be more competitive in a weak job market through improving their English skills. We asked for your help to keep our programs available and free through participating in two fundraising programs during the summer, and you responded enthusiastically. Thank you!
Almost 50 donors, some first-time donors to LVSF, participated in the Summer Campaign, and altogether contributed more than $8000. Many individuals and Santa Fe businesses participated in the LVSF Online Silent Auction through donating more than 100 items to auction and/or bidding on these fabulous treasures. The auction grossed almost $10,000.
50 Donors Contributed > $8,000
100 items = nearly $10,000 raised!
It is hard to express adequately our gratitude for your unstinting support. As meaningful as the financial support is the affirmation of how you value LVSF’s work in the community. It enables us to redouble our efforts to continue our mission despite the challenges of operating during the pandemic.
MEET LVSF STAFF & BOARD
Mary DuBose
Staff
Mary DuBose became a volunteer ESL tutor with Literacy Volunteers of Santa Fe in February of 2012. Having recently retired from state government, she jumped in with both feet and dedicated much of her time to tutoring with LVSF. In 2014, Mary offered to fill-in “temporarily” as ESL Coordinator until a full-time coordinator could be hired. The three month “temporary” position turned into an 18-month term. Mary now works as the Literacy Program Specialist with emphasis on placing ESL or Basic Literacy tutors in workplaces to assist employees in gaining better communication and workplace skills. Mary grew up in Jackson, Mississippi. She came to Santa Fe in 1986 after receiving a B.A. is Psychology from the University of Southern Mississippi. She worked in management for New Mexico State Government from 1987 through 2011. Mary delights in living in the desert southwest and appreciates the richness and diversity of our community. She enjoys the challenges of teaching and is continually inspired by the resilience and success of our students.
Silvia Kingsford
Student Representative to the Board
Silvia had studied at the Technological University in Chihuahua and graduated in 1999 with a degree in industrial engineering. In 2001, she decided to move to the United States from Mexico in 2001 for more and better opportunities in her life. In September 2017, Silvia began her LVSF English classes at her workplace, Ten Thousand Waves, where she is a supervisor.
While studying with LVSF tutor, Susan Hasse, Silvia was recommended as Student of the Year (2019). This led to Silvia being invited to address the New Mexico State Senate. Senator Pete Campose introduced Silvia. In keeping with Silvia’s gratitude and commitment to service, she was next invited to share her life story with 100 Women Who Care at their August 2019 meeting. Silvia’s story of how being a student at LVSF changed her life was compelling and the primary reason for LVSF being voted the 2nd place winner for that quarter. This led Kim Wiley, board president, to urge Silvia to consider applying to join the LVSF board. The Nominations Committee brought forward her nomination, and she was unanimously voted in to join the board to serve a 3-year term in September 2019.
Silvia is a humanitarian at heart and says that as a board member she enjoys being able to offer her time and attention to empower the students and community that she says have given her so much.