Literacy Advance of Houston

I’ve never experienced such an impressive non profit organization. They have literally helped people who were previously powerless and overlooked and scared find purpose, confidence, knowledge, and a network of friends, peers, and resources. Everything they provide is for free, and my contributions as a Board member are tangibly valuable, so I can say they’ve helped me find additional purpose, confidence, knowledge, and a network for friends, peers, and resources too. Congratulations to Literacy Advance of Houston, all of our volunteers, and all of our students for all the success over the last 50 years. Let’s keep doing even more over the next 50!

Volunteer TODAY! Call, sign up and give to your community! Incredible people. Huge hearts. I cannot stress enough my sincere love and devotion to the students and staff here. Your HEART will GUSH when you fall head over heels in love with the entire experience that is, Literacy Advance of Houston. Call today and get involved. Such a rewarding blessing for YOU and the students.

This has got to be one of the most well organized non-​profit organization I have ever been a part of. I have just started volunteering here as a tutor and so far my experience was exceptional.
I was given the chance to observe one of the classes tonight and it was incredible to see everyone working together to help each other learn English. There was a genuine interest from everyone in the room to learn and succeed. It happened more than once that once one student who was struggling with a grammatical structure or a pronunciation issue finally got the right answer the whole class cheered.
The students are all over 18 and from all over the world. For example, tonight’s class had people from France, Iran, Mexico, Colombia, Guatemala, Angola, Peru and Iraq.
From the training class I attended, there seems to be a long waiting list to get into a regular class. However, there are «While You’re Waiting» classes offered very frequently. These classes do not follow a curriculum, but rather choose one topic to focus on for the day. Tonight, for example, we focused on the past tense and customs.
If you are interested in learning English, this is a great place to start. If you are interested in helping teach English, do not hesitate to email them today.

If you go to the Literacy Advance of Houston (LAH) website, you’ll be confronted with a few facts that should give you pause:
* Approximately 52% of adults in Harris County are functionally illiterate in English
* Texas ranks 47 out of 50 states, in terms of English literacy levels
* 68% of those arrested, 75% of welfare dependents, 85% of dropouts and 72% of the unemployed are identified as functionally illiterate
If you’re in a self-​absorbed mood, the third fact should answer the question, «Why do I care?» quite convincingly. So, who’s doing anything about this? LAH is! They are a non-​profit organization whose mission is «to teach adults to read, write, and communicate in English so they can achieve their full potential as parents, workers, citizens, and community members.»
Using strictly volunteer tutors, classes are offered for free at schools, community centers, churches, corporations, and small businesses throughout the Greater Houston area.
LAH has been strongly endorsed by a number of local literacy advocates whose names you’ve heard (some of them are volunteer tutors too):
* Author and Houston’s First Lady, Andrea White
* Former Astro pitcher, announcer and manager, Larry Dierker
* Former Oiler quarterback and General Manager of the Houston Dynamo, Oliver Luck
* Former Head Coach of the Houston Comets, Van Chancellor
* and many more…
There are few local charities that are more deserving of some dollars you can leverage into a tax write-​off or perhaps even some of your time as a tutor. In addition to the office in Galleria area, they also have an office near Clearlake.
Full disclosure: I’m currently not involved with Literacy Advance of Houston in any way but I am a personal friend of its Executive Director and know a member of the Executive Board.