Literacy Volunteers of Illinois
VOCAL AmeriCorps
(Volunteer Outreach for Community Action in Literacy)
Host Sites with Openings
Albany Park Community Center, 5121 N. Kimball Avenue, Chicago, IL 60625
The Albany Park Community Center (APCC) is a multi-service center offering a range of adult
education and literacy programs, including one-to-one tutoring in ESL, basic reading and math.
The APCC also offers various programs in family literacy, citizen preparation and computer
literacy, and serves as a neighborhood Community Technology Center.
Contact: Beth Hausler, Adult Literacy/Citizenship Coordinator 773/433-3737
Full-Time Position – Tutoring/Teaching/Program Support
Aquinas Literacy Center, 3540 South Hermitage Avenue, Chicago, IL 60609
Aquinas Literacy Center offers individualized tutoring in the English language to area residents
at no cost to the students. Their service is based upon the expertise and experience of the Adrian
Dominican Sisters and their continuing commitment to education. The Center accepts people of
every race, color and creed. It is an environment conducive to learning, and one which
reverences and respects each individual. Closely allied with this intent is the fostering of
independent learning, personal growth and responsibility.
Contact: Alison Altmeyer, Adult Literacy Coordinator 773/927-0512
Full-Time Position – Tutoring/Teaching/Program Support
Centro Romero, 6216 N. Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60660
Centro Romero, located on the northeast side of Chicago in the Edgewater neighborhood, is a
non-profit organization providing options and opportunities for low-income Latino immigrants.
Services offered include ESL and Spanish Literacy, Immigration Services, and various programs
for youth and women. Through education, Centro Romero emphasizes the development of the
whole family unit, the creation of community leadership and self-reliance.
Contact: Dena Giacometti, Program Director
773/508-5300 ext.15
Full-Time Position – Tutoring/Teaching/Program Support - Spanish-Speaking Skills a Plus
Chicago Citywide Literacy Coalition, 641 W. Lake – Suite 200, Chicago, IL 60661
The Chicago Citywide Literacy Coalition advocates for and develops implementation strategies
for improving adult literacy and the adult basic education system via a coordinated effort to:
Improve the quality and build the capacity of adult basic education programs; foster an adult
education infrastructure that adequately transitions learners into the workforce or post-secondary
education; and, promote equitable access to quality education for all ages throughout the city.
Becky Raymond, Executive Director
312.659.1520
Full-Time Position – Communications and Program Development
Heartland Human Care Services, 5715 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago, Illinois 60641
The Heartland Alliance, of which Heartland Human Care Services (HHCS) is a part, advances the
human rights and responds to the human needs of endangered populations - particularly the poor,
the isolated, and the displaced - through the provision of comprehensive services and the
promotion of permanent solutions leading to a more just global society. The HHCS Adult
Volunteer Literacy (AVL) Project provides ESL instruction, emphasizing language fluency and
competencies that are relevant to the daily lives of adults served.
Katie Neginskiy, Supervisor - Refugee and Immigrant Community Services (773) 252-8715
Part-Time Position – Tutoring/Teaching (some afternoon and evening hours)
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Instituto del Progreso Latino (IDPL), 2570 S. Blue Island, Chicago, IL 60608
IDPL is an educational organization whose mission is to contribute to the fullest development of
Latino immigrants and their families through education, training and employment. With offices
in three different communities on the southwest side of Chicago, IDPL offers a continuum of
adult education services from learning how to read in Spanish up to the GED. ABE and pre-GED
classes are also offered, as is English literacy for students with less than a 6th grade education in
their first language. Also offered are computer literacy programs and internet access.
Contacts: Stephen R. Alderson, Adult Education Director
Luisa Sanchez, Spanish Literacy Program Coordinator
773/890-0055
Full-Time Position – Teaching/Tutoring – Bilingual a Plus (some evening hours)
Literacy Volunteers of Illinois (LVI), 30 East Adams Street, Suite 600, Chicago, IL 60603
LVI is a statewide organization that is committed to developing and supporting volunteer literacy
programs that help families, adults and out-of-school teens increase their literacy skills. Programs
include VOCAL AmeriCorps, of which the agencies described herewith are a part, as well as the
Jump Start Program described below. LVI also offers training to staff, tutors, and adult learners
through annual conferences and conducts special events and advocacy efforts to raise awareness
about the problems of and solutions to low literacy in adults.
Contact: Dorothy M. Miaso, Executive Director
312/857-1582
312/867-1586 (fax)
Full-Time Position – Communications and Program Development
Jump Start at the Illinois Youth Centers
A program of LVI that recruits retirees, especially retired teachers, to serve as tutors and mentors
for youth incarcerated in the Illinois Youth Centers. The program was begun in 1995 through
funding from the Retirement Research Foundation. Current funding comes from School District
#428 of the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice, the Literacy Office of the Illinois State
Library and private companies, foundations and individuals.
IYC-Kewanee
2021 Kentville Road
Kewanee, IL 61443
Contact: Deb Sundberg, Program Coordinator 309/852-4601 ext. 3313
Part-Time Position - Tutoring
IYC-St. Charles
3825 Campton Hills Rd.
St. Charles, IL 60175
Contact: Melissa Auer- [email protected]
Part-Time Position – Tutoring/ Program Support
Literacy Volunteers of Western Cook County, 1010 W. Lake Street, Oak Park, IL 60301
Established in 1987, Literacy Volunteers of Western Cook County provides free literacy
education to adults in over 30 communities in western suburban Cook County and the Austin
neighborhood of Chicago. In addition to one-to-one and small group tutoring held at various
libraries throughout the area, LV-WCC also provides on Saturday mornings at the Berwyn
Public Library a Beginner English Study Group for individuals at an early literacy level to learn
the basics with a focus on listening and speaking at the lowest level and a Conversation Cafe
for English Learners for intermediate speakers of English as a Second Language.
Contact: Esther Chase, President, Board of Directors 708/848-8499 708/848-9564
Full-Time Position – Tutoring/Teaching Program Support
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World Relief, 3507 W. Lawrence Avenue, Chicago, IL 60625
World Relief-Chicago’s mission is to engage communities to foster dignity and wholeness for
immigrants and refugees in transition. English language and literacy development to obtain
employment and integrate more fully into the Chicago community is a key avenue that World
Relief uses to accomplish its mission. Education services include intensive English Language
Training part-time ESL programming, family literacy and in-home tutoring. Also offers weekly
employment preparation and cultural adjustment training.
Contact: Joshua Daniel, Director, Resettlement Services 773/583-9191
Full-Time Position – Resettlement Services/Program Support