Clay Perdue (pictured left) joined Literacy NRV as a volunteer tutor in the summer of 2023 and has already impacted the lives of many of our English language learners! Clay is leading this third group this summer and is currently tutoring two students. We asked him to share a little more about himself and what brought him to volunteering at Literacy NRV. Here's what he had to say:
"I am from San Diego County. I was born in Hawaii but left Honolulu at the age of two and lived in the San Diego area until 2003 (except for four years in college in the S.F. Bay area), moving to Rhode Island (there 2 years), then Maine (15 years), and now Christiansburg. I am married (for 20+ years) and have two children-- a daughter (an English-Spanish courtroom translator) in California, and a son who lives in Managua, Nicaragua, and teaches English.
I have traveled a lot. As a young man without a car, I hitchhiked across the USA and Canada six times, and once through Central America and Mexico. In my mid-twenties I spent three months hitchhiking (with an occasional bus or train ride) and camping in ten countries of western Europe and Morocco, living out of a backpack. I have also seen much of South America, especially Argentina, as well as the British and U.S. Virgin Islands. In later years, I've stuck to the U.S., having been to all fifty states and to 49 of our 63 national parks.
I enjoy meeting and interacting with the students at Literacy NRV. They are always younger than I am and they keep me feeling young! They remind me of my younger, adventurous years. They teach me as much as I teach them. Their hard work and serious efforts to improve their education are inspiring to me. I respect them very much, and they interest me no matter which country they come from."
We're so grateful for all your hard work, Clay! If YOU are interested in joining Clay as a volunteer at Literacy NRV, join one of our upcoming no-commitment Volunteer Information Sessions soon! www.literacynrv.org/calendar
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