At a ceremony on October 21, Dr. Lauren Harrison and Beverley Hamilton were honored by the Literacy Volunteers of America for their work with a satellite literacy center at Church of the Epiphany in Orange.
Harrison invited Literacy Volunteers of America to establish the satellite literacy center at Epiphany in 2008. She and Hamilton were among the first Epipahny tutors trained, focusing on Basic Literacy and English for Speakers of Other Languages. With the help of other Epiphany tutors over the years, they have worked hard to create a learning environment that is fun, fosters confidence and supports community-building.
The Church of the Ephiphany provides several literacy tutors on Wednesday evenings to work with students individually and in small groups. Students may also borrow books from the church library. Many students who started at level zero literacy competency have advanced to reach personal goals ranging from being able to read to their young children, to earning their NJ Driving Permits and U.S. Citizenship.
Literacy Volunteers of America presented Harrison with the Essex County Tutor of the Year Award, and commended both Harrison and Hamilton for Outstanding Tutor Dedication and Effort that Inspired Student Achievement in Literacy, successful completion of 50 hours of tutoring during the 2010-2011 year and successful completion of three years of service.
