• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Literacy Volunteers of Greater Hartford

  

  • About Us
    • History
    • Staff
    • Board
  • Volunteers
    • Tutor Training
    • Volunteer Application
    • Tutor Resources
    • Forum
  • Students
    • Class Schedule
    • Student Application
    • Online Learning
    • Job Training
    • Weblinks
  • Give
    • Monthly Giving
    • Leave a Legacy
    • Honorary & Memorial Gifts
    • Corporate Giving
    • Stock Donations
    • Our Donors
  • News & Events
    • Calendar
    • Read. Learn. Grow. Gala
    • Archive
  • Contact

History

Annual Report

The 2019-20 school year was a challenging year for LVGH, but our sense of community is what really pulled us through. 200+ volunteer tutors worked online and in-person with over 700 adults to improve their language, math, digital literacy and job skills - critical skills that shape the foundation of independent adult life.

To learn more about what we accomplished together over the past year, we invite you to review our 2019 – 2020 Annual Report. Inside, you’ll find a snapshot of our impact over the past year, and meet some of the folks who make this community so vibrant – our brave students, dedicated tutors, and generous donors.

2019-20 Annual Report

View past Annual Reports

History

Since we first opened our doors over 40 years ago, LVGH has helped over 15,000 adults from across Greater Hartford to improve their English literacy skills.  Check out the timeline to see how we've grown!

Timeline: 40 Years of Helping Greater Hartford to Read. Learn. Grow.

1972
Birth of an Agency
A small group of dedicated volunteers officially formed Literacy Volunteers of Greater Hartford on September 27, 1972.  Based at Asylum Hill Congregational Church, the first year’s entire operating budget was just $3,600.  The all-volunteer staff focused on recruiting and training volunteer tutors, who served an impressive 116 Basic Literacy students in the first year.   One-on-one tutoring took place at variety of community sites: churches, libraries, community centers, local corporations like CIGNA, Aetna, and Hartford Hospital- even city parks!
1973

LVGH hits a national record for number of volunteers serving 100 hours or more. From the very beginning, our tutor retention rate has always been above the national average.

1975

Responding to a critical need in the Hartford community for people from other countries to learn to speak, read, and write English, LVGH adds English as a Second Language tutoring to its programming.

1980
A Time of Growth and Change, Searching for a Home Base

Throughout the ‘80s, LVGH expanded throughout the Hartford community, hired its first paid staff, transitioned from one-on-one to small group tutoring, and opened its first computer lab. Adjusting to these changes, LVGH moved around to several different homes during this time, including Asylum Hill Congregational Church, Moylan School, SAND, 110 Washington Street, the YWCA, and St. John’s Church. LVGH couldn’t have grown into what it is today without the early collaboration of these other organizations.

1986

“It’s opening up a new life for me, something I kept hid for a long time. I feel very confident now that I can pick up a book and read it and know what it is saying.”

– Sam Robinson,
Basic Literacy student,
Bloomfield

1990
Engaging Students and the Community

The ‘90s were a time of in-depth student and community involvement. LVGH operated multiple program sites at libraries, schools, and community centers throughout Greater Hartford, in addition to the work at our Hartford Center. Greater efforts were made to recruit tutors from the neighborhoods being served. Students were active in literacy awareness campaigns and organized several fundraising events throughout these years.

1995

After several location changes over the years, LVGH moves to 30 Arbor Street, finally establishing a permanent home base in which to grow and thrive.

2000
Hitting Our Stride

The first decade of the new century found LVGH in a strong, stable place – the perfect time to reflect on the past and strategize for the future. After years of operating as many as 12 community sites at a time, LVGH streamlined operations to just three community sites in Hartford, Bloomfield, and East Hartford. This resulted in improved coordination and evaluation of services, a greater variety of programming, and a strengthened sense of community.

2005

After 13 years of service to the agency, Susan Roman retires from LVGH.  CJ Hauss is appointed as the new Executive Director.

LVGH partners with the Wickham Library in East Hartford to open a satellite Reading Center there, expanding our service region to include not only East Hartford but also the surrounding towns of Bolton, Ellington, Glastonbury, Manchester, South Windsor, Tolland, Rockville, and Vernon. LVGH grows to serve nearly 600 students per year.

2012
2012 and Beyond: Leaders in Our Community

In 2012, LVGH celebrated 40 years of serving Greater Hartford, and is now recognized as the premier community-based literacy organization in the region.  While we’ve come a long way since 1972, adult literacy remains a major issue of concern for our community. We continue to grow; for the first time ever, we served over 700 students in 2011-2012.  As we look to the future, LVGH is poised to fully realize its developing role as a leader of adult education in the region, and we continue to explore ways to build our capacity so that we can reach more adults in our community.  

 

Primary Sidebar

Read All About It

  • News & Events
  • Student Stories

Student Stories:

“I didn’t realize how helpful LVGH would be. This isn’t the end for me here. I’m going to keep coming back and improve my skills.”

Jackie

“I like how welcoming and encouraging the tutors are. They were able to help me with my dyslexia and push me to reach my goals. I always had a passion for learning and when I came to LVGH I met even more people like me and I felt like I was home.”

Joey

“Since I’ve improved my English skills I am more independent. I can go shopping, visit a doctor or fix an internet problem with a company over the phone, easily; that’s not a big deal for me anymore.”

Kelcillene

“Education helps you realize your potential, which allow you to empower yourself to do more than you thought you could do before.”

Winston

“After joining Literacy Volunteers of Greater Hartford (LVGH) I feel confident to go out with my children. It changed my life.”

Lila

Facebook Feed

Thank you so much to everyone who purchased a donation grocery bag from ShopRite for our Food Services Job Training Program. The students will use the soups to prepare casseroles, the oil to cook meats and vegetables, and the brown bags to pack it all up to hand out to members of the community! These pre-filled grocery bags, available for purchase at check-out and collected right by the exit door, will be available through the month of March. Stop by ShopRite in East Hartford to donate a bag and support our program today! ... See MoreSee Less

4 days ago  ·  

Photo

View on Facebook
· Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

Congrats to former LVGH student Komi on getting his high school diploma! We're proud to have helped him begin his educational journey.Congratulations Komi! Class of 2021 👨‍🎓Best Wishes at Goodwin College with East Hartford CONNects! ... See MoreSee Less

5 days ago  ·  

Photo

View on Facebook
· Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

Footer

DONATE

Join us as a partner in our mission to build a stronger, more resilient, fully literate Greater Hartford.

donate

Volunteer

Students’ lives will change and so will yours. Become a volunteer. More…

      UnitedWay

         ProLiteracy

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

LINKS

  • Home
  • About Us
    • History
    • Staff
    • Board
  • Volunteers
    • Tutor Training
    • Volunteer Application
    • Tutor Resources
    • Tutor Forum
  • Students
    • Class Schedule
    • Student Application
    • Online Learning
    • Job Training
    • Weblinks
  • Give
  • News & Events
    • Calendar
    • Read. Learn. Grow. Gala
    • Archive
  • Contact

GET IN TOUCH

LVGH
30 Arbor Street
Hartford, CT 06106
First Floor South Building

Phone (860) 233-3853
Fax (860) 838-6442

Copyright © 2021 | Site By waldenponddesign