Volunteer Spotlight: Irene & Molly

Above, Irene, front row far left, and Molly, front row second from left, and some of their class volunteers and English language learners.

Every Sunday evening, a church classroom comes to life as Literacy NRV volunteers and adult learners gather together to study English. Some engage in lively conversation, while others quietly focus on their books—all united in a shared commitment to improving language and literacy skills in a welcoming and supportive environment.

Volunteers Irene Peterson and Molly McClintock started the class in 2020 after learning of a gap in services for English language learners who

work long hours—often six days a week—with only Sundays free. Additional volunteer tutors provide individualization by working with small leveled groups.

Molly and Irene shared how exciting it has been to see students make progress -- improving their ability to communicate in English and achieving meaningful goals including passing the US Citizenship test, passing the VA Driving test, getting a job, passing a section of the GED. They have also empowered students to serve as volunteers and to help one another. 

In addition to providing the English class with Molly and other volunteers, Irene, who started as a volunteer with Literacy NRV in 2019, has assisted with a GED class, tutored a woman who wanted to learn to read, and tutors English language learners one-on-one. 

“I volunteer because I can. I volunteer because it is something I can do to help. I can donate money but volunteering really makes me feel like I’m truly making a difference.  And we are also learning -- about people we never would have been introduced to, about cultures, and we get to see the US in a different way,” said Irene. 

“We get so much more out of volunteering than we put in,” added Molly. “The friendships we’ve made have really enriched our lives. I am so grateful I could help our learners achieve goals that are important to them.”

Irene and Molly encourage other interested adults to join the team of Literacy NRV volunteer tutors.  “If you speak English, you can teach English,” said Irene. “I”m not an ESL specialist,” added Molly. “But there are so many helpful materials and literacy resources out there.”

“Some Sundays, it can be a pain in the neck to go out rather than just stay at home,” said Irene. “But we always come back home afterwards and say that was great, the people were great and enthusiastic, and the people we’ve had the opportunity to work with are so appreciative. We have a great group of volunteers who are committed. And of course, the staff of Literacy NRV are great to work with.”