Literacy Council of Frederick County 2016 Volunteer Stats

The Literacy Council is keenly aware that there are not just hundreds but thousands of adults in Frederick County who could use our help with literacy skills or learning English. So we have been working hard to find and train new tutors, and to let potential students know we are here to help them.

And we have been growing!

• From 2010 to 2016, the number of our volunteers increased by 29% (from 98 to 127).
• During the same period, the number of our adult learners increased by 119% (from 116 to 255).
• Last year, our volunteers gave over 12,200 hours of service. This amounts to approximately three hundred 40-hour workweeks. Employment statisticians equate this to a monetary value of $287,833.

One thing we have learned is that expanding an organization while continuing to do quality work requires staff. Until 2011, all support staff members were volunteers. These people were heroic and did a great job, but inevitably the office went unstaffed sometimes and things fell between the cracks. Imagine being the student who finally gets up the nerve to call the Literacy Council or stop by . . . only to find no one there.

In 2011 the Literacy Council was able to hire a part-time officer manager/volunteer coordinator. In 2014 we added a part-time executive director. What a difference these women have made! They have rendered the Council’s work more consistent and reliable, and both have engaged in serious outreach into the community structure and population of Frederick County. They have fueled our growth, enabling us to serve many more learners.