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Literacy Volunteers of Illinois (commonly known as LVI) is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization that promotes adult literacy in Chicago and its surrounding suburbs.

Mission Statement: Literacy Volunteers of Illinois is a statewide organization committed to developing and supporting volunteer literacy programs that help families, adults and out-of-school teens increase their literacy skills.

History
Literacy Volunteers of Illinois (LVI) was founded in 1979 to serve as a technical assistance and training agency for volunteer literacy programs affiliated with the national Literacy Volunteers of America organization.

LVI began by working with four LVA programs. Today, LVI provides an array of resources and services to staff, tutors and students in some 100 adult Literacy Programs statewide.

Resource & Referral Center
This Center serves as a clearinghouse for individuals interested in becoming volunteer tutors by connecting them with literacy programs in their communities. The Center also provides initial and in-service training to tutors and staff, an annual statewide staff development conference and the annual tutor and student On The Road To Literacy Spring conference.

National Service
LV-Illinois is a leader in the national service movement and has since 1987 has placed over 600 VISTA and AmeriCorps members in 150 adult, family literacy and Head Start programs throughout the state. LV-Illinois' current national service program - VOCAL - Volunteer Outreach for Community Action in Literacy – has 36 AmeriCorps members working in adult volunteer literacy programs throughout the state. Click here for further information on the VOCAL program.

Correctional Education
Being struck with the staggering low literacy rates among inmate populations, LV-Illinois began its work in correctional education by helping to develop volunteer programs in adult correctional centers. In 1995, LV-Illinois’ work expanded to the juvenile centers, where, in conjunction with School District #428 of the Illinois Department of Corrections, the Jump Start program was created. The Jump Start program, which operates in the Illinois Youth Centers, is an intergenerational tutoring and mentoring program that targets retirees and retired teachers, in particular, to serve as volunteers. Jump Start tutors focus not only on academics, but also serve as mentors for the youth in helping them make better life choices.

Advocacy and Special Events
To raise public awareness about adult literacy and generate new resources for literacy programs, LV-Illinois participates in a broad number of coalitions, commissions and advisory councils at the local, state and national level. LV-Illinois also sponsors events throughout the year.

New Readers
As a learner-centered organization, LV-Illinois encourages students to be active participants in all phases of the learning process from choosing the materials they want to read to taking leadership roles within their programs. To bring this about, LV-Illinois provides consultation, training and administrative support to the statewide organization, New Readers for New Life, a network of past and current adult literacy students. Every summer the New Readers organization sponsors a statewide conference for students, tutors and staff of adult literacy programs.

VOCAL AmeriCorps
The VOCAL program is funded by the Corporation for National and Community Service through the Illinois Commission on Volunteerism and Community Service.

The central goal of the VOCAL - Volunteer Outreach for Community Action in Literacy - program is to expand the volunteer base of community and faith-based adult literacy programs by recruiting, placing and training AmeriCorps members to serve as Volunteer Literacy Specialists in adult literacy programs throughout the state.

As Literacy Specialists, AmeriCorps members serve as one-to-one and small group tutors, are involved with volunteer recruitment and retention activities and help to secure other resources for their host site, including books, program materials, and "give -away" items for tutor and student celebrations. Members are also involved in special events to generate awareness of and support for the literacy activities of the agency.

SCRABBLE for Literacy
This yearly fundraiser, which is held in October or November, is supported by the National Scrabble Association Local Clubs #240 and #601 and the Rotary Club of Chicago-Lakeview. Participants play one another in Scrabble and also bid on items during a silent auction.

New Readers Conference
The New Readers Conference began in 1993 by the New Readers for New Life and is held annually in the October or November. Over 1,000 individuals from 21 states have attended this event since its inception. This three-day conference is broken into workshops and discussions.