2004
2004 marked the 40th Anniversary of Literacy Rochester. The organization was celebrated in many ways including a proclamation of Literacy Volunteers of Rochester Day by the Offices of the County Executive and Mayor, celebrations in the office, and the creation of a dedicated history booklet in honor of the 40 years.
Alongwith the 40 years celebration, the organization also reverted its name to its founding name, Literacy Volunteers of Rochester (LVR), to maintain historical context in the new national organization, Proliteracy.
2005
2005 had many “firsts” for the organization but also some continued traditions.
In the beginning of the year, LVR hired its first Development Director, Jane LeBlanc, to help raise funds for the growing programs. The total staff rose to six with an executive director, program coordinator, development director, case coordinator, front desk receptionist, and an administrative assistant.
Another first was for volunteer George-Ann Schauffele who received the Volunteer Service Award from President George W. Bush. Schauffele’s had a long history of service with LVR and deserving of the honor. Below are photos from the reception held at the LVR office where volunteers, board members, and press came to celebrate Schauffele’s achievement.
And lastly, the 5th Annual Brain Game was held again in October and many familiar teams returned to compete along side some new faces.
2006
During this year, LVR officially launched the LitVol Leadership Society which recognizes and honors major donors. Today, the LitVol Society still exists as we recognize major donors in our Annual Report each year.
Furthermore, LVR also started computer classes in 2006 and offered some specific workshops including an introduction to PowerPoint. Many volunteers took the opportunity to take these workshops and learn more about the evolving technology that was being introduced.
2007
- The Annual Report from the 2006-2007 Program Year proclaimed that the year was “a ‘learner centered’ year.” The organization continued to expand its reach into the community and focus on the specific literacy needs of community members. A pilot program was launched called “Intensity of Instruction” to help students have more opportunities to work in a group class setting. Another pilot program included the “My Reading Coach” which introduced the use of computers to aid in instruction.
- Year that our Program Director, Jennifer Eaton, started! Jen has assumed many roles for Literacy Rochester over the years including program coordinator, instructional director, to program director. Jen started as a volunteer in May order to complete an internship for her MA in Adult Education. Jen took the tutor training and worked in the office a few days a week. In addition, she also worked on creating a math class for the organization that not only helped LR but also helped her complete her thesis and internship requirements. Jen was officially hired as the Program Coordinator for LR in August of 2007 and finished her MA in Adult Education in May of 2008.
2008
2009
2009 marked the 45th Anniversary of the organization!
The annual report cleverly used the alphabet to describe the program year which outlined major developments for programs and the organization. It was reported that volunteers donated 21,000 hours and there were over 2,500 learner achievements.
A – Advocacy
B – Books
C – Citizenship
D – Dictionaries
E – Employment
L – Learner
V – Volunteer
R – Rochester
2010
New year… new office! In September of 2010, the LVR office officially moved to 1600 South Ave (our current space!). The decision to move involved the need for more space and accessibility for volunteers and learners.
2011
- A new addition to the instructional services was Math! Students could now learn about and improve upon their math skills.
- One of our library extraordinaries, Cathy Pospula, received the Judy Dauphinee Volunteer of the Year Award.
- “Professional Development Saturdays” were a once monthly workshop opportunity for tutors. Topics included how to use technology in tutoring, instruction planning, and assessment methods.
2012
- LVR launches its “Literacy Navigator” program. This program was a pilot for what ultimately becomes what is known as our Digital Literacy Program today.
- LVR launched ACCESS classes. ACCESS classes were small group classes that provided a more structured and intense learning environment for students.
- Brain Game raised an record breaking $22,000 for the organization to use for program development.
- In the fall, LVR piloted a family literacy training series. This effort was designed to support parents and caregivers! The series provided tools and techniques for families to incorporate literacy lessons in everyday activities.
2013
- The Digital Literacy program officially launched. This program was designed to help bridge the Digital Divide gap and teach individuals how to complete computer-based tasks.
- With LVR’s growing programs, two new staff members were hired to support the new Digital Program and Development undertakings.
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