Volunteer Spotlight: Meet Martin
On March 07, 2022January 10, 2023
0

Volunteer Spotlight: Meet Martin

InNews, Volunteer Spotlight
This month’s Volunteer Spotlight recognizes Martin who has volunteered with the Literacy Council since 2011. Martin had previously worked part-time for USPS while he was going to school, then went into the Navy.  He then  returned to USPS full-time while finishing his education.  After finishing school, he worked at FCPL, while also working full-time at USPS.  After retiring, he joined the Literacy Council in 2011 and completing tutor training.  Since that time,  Martin has tutored multiple adults with a range of backgrounds from Cameroon, China, Guatemala and Korea.
After first joining the Literacy Council, Martin provided extensive support as a tutor for employees at a local small business, one of the Literacy Council’s Workplace English Programs.  He helped business owner Weiyi (Wendy) Luo who gave her employees the opportunity to learn English while at work, meeting as a group several days a week to work together practicing conversation scenarios and vocabulary to learn the English they need on the job. According to Wendy, learning to communicate with her customers is essential to the success of her business.
Most recently, he has been helping Joseph, our February Student Spotlight featured student, meeting on Zoom since October 2020. Meeting on Zoom has helped Joseph be able to fit tutoring into his very demanding schedule, as he works a night shift, attends classes at FCC and supports his wife and three young children.  In a recent interview with Martin, Joseph and his wife, Perresse, Joseph credited the Literacy Council with helping his children to develop a love of reading.  Throughout the pandemic, the whole family would drive by the Literacy Council to pick up donated Holiday Book Drive children’s books.
In addition, Martin provides support for the Council’s Tutor Training program, as part of the workshop setup team that organizes the training rooms for multiple workshops each year, prior to the training moving to remote platforms during the pandemic.
Martin always pitches in when needed, including joining our tutor/student Scrabble teams at annual Scrabble Mania for Literacy events! The Literacy Council is blessed to have such a dedicated and caring tutor and volunteer like Martin.

Last year, more than 120 passionate and dedicated volunteers like Martin contributed over 13,000 hours supporting the tutoring, class, parent and workplace literacy programs. The Literacy Council is always seeking volunteers, including class facilitators and instructors! Learn more by registering for a 60-minute Volunteer Information Session offered every month, followed by a Tutor Training Workshop.  All sessions and workshops are currently conducted online.