History

A Brief History of Literacy Volunteers Western Cook County

In the fall of 1984, Literacy Volunteers of America-Illinois (LVA-I) opened its first office in a closet downtown at the Chicago affiliate.  It was there for one month when the LVA-I Board instructed the first state director to find office space outside of Chicago.  Oak Park was selected for both its closeness to, and its distance from the city.

Immediately upon moving into the space at Lake and Ridgeland, at least a half dozen calls came in requesting services for the caller or for someone they knew.  The LVA-I staff, which was minimal, began to work as tutors, themselves, to many of the callers.  There was not time to train tutors of form an affiliate.  They tried to provide services in their spare time.  Calls came in from Bellwood, Maywood, Oak Park, Forest Park, Melrose Park, Riverside, Berwyn and Cicero.  By 1985, there was no choice but to formalize the program and create an official LVA affiliate.

This happened at the same time that public policy made a major shift in the way it funded, or rather didn’t fund, non-profit providers of adult literacy services.  LVA-I staff and the late Senator Paul Simon worked to changed laws, and allowed LVA to receive public funds from the Secretary of State’s office.  LVA-I had received the largest VISTA contract, to date, from the federal government.  The state office was able to place 30 VISTA volunteers throughout the state to create LVA affiliates.  These funds enabled LVA-I to commit resources to the Western Cook project that became a program and then an organization in 1986.

Here are the names of the people who all made major contribution to the early ten years of LVWCC development and stability:

Irene Inkmann-First Vista volunteer and partner with first State Director, RaeLynne Toperoff

Judy Southwick: Program Director

Fanchon Jenkins: Office Assistant

Rose Hughes: Business/Office Manager

Marcia Karbin: Development Director

Colleen Maia: Director of Training and Marketing

Ellen Weinbaum; First LVWCC Coordinator

Barbara Balinger :  Librarian at the Oak Park Public Library

Barbara Hall: Librarian at the River Forest Public Library