New Jersey Herald 
                
                    

       
                  

            Literacy Volunteers gain honors
             

            By ALICIA HARTGROVE 
            For The Herald 
            ANDOVER TWP. -- Tutors and students from the Literacy Volunteers of 
            Sussex County gathered in Hillside Park's banquet hall Sunday 
            afternoon with warm, welcoming smiles for the seventh annual 
            Together Day. 
            Together Day is an annual awards dinner to recognize excellence in 
            tutors and students. Literacy Volunteers of Sussex County was formed 
            in 1984 and is expanding into parts of Warren County. LVSC currently 
            has about 80 tutors and students with a growing waiting list. 
            Volunteers get 21 hours of tutor training for two types of students 
            -- basic literacy and English as a second language. All tutoring is 
            one-on-one and done in one two-hour session a week. 
            Leo McLaughlin of Hopatcong was named Outstanding Tutor. McLaughlin, 
            who, like Nixon, has no formal teaching background, became a tutor a 
            year and a half ago after meeting a retired teacher that had just 
            finished tutor training. 
            McLaughlin accepted the award and said, "I know that I am not the 
            best tutor but on behalf of all the tutors LVSC has, I accept this 
            award. 
            "The greatest joy for me is seeing them (his students) achieve 
            little milestones like learning a new concept in math. Seeing that 
            light bulb go on when they understand is the most rewarding 
            feeling," said McLaughlin. 
            The Outstanding Student Award went to Pilar Ochoa, a wife and mother 
            of three grown sons in Stanhope. Ochoa was overcome with smiles and 
            "wanted to cry" when she accepted the award. 
            Ochoa, originally from Columbia and learning English as a second 
            language, came to Sussex County nine years ago to be with family and 
            has been a LVSC student for a year and a half. In Columbia, she was 
            a business administrator. She currently works retail at Payless 
            Shoes in Rockaway, where she landed a promotion thanks to her 
            progress with LVSC. 
            "It's been hard but I'm happy to be in this country because of all 
            the opportunities. It's good for me to learn another language and 
            culture," said Ochoa. 
            Ochoa's main goal is improve her English. Ochoa said she now feels 
            confident going to doctors and communicating in public because of 
            her tutor, Trudy Lykes. 
            "It's really a pleasure teaching Pilar because of her motivation and 
            desire to learn English.... This is so important to her," said 
            Lykes. 
            The Jean Chamberlain Award of Excellence, which is named after one 
            of the founders and dedicated members whose family contributed money 
            in 2002 for this award, was given to Adrienne Nixon of Oxford. 
            Nixon became involved with this organization in 2004 after reading 
            about Literacy Volunteers of America in a women's magazine. She is a 
            tutor, training coordinator, fund-raiser, public relations, and Web 
            site developer for LVSC. 
            "When you work in this environment, everyone is here because they 
            want to be so they pour their hearts and souls into this. It's an 
            honor to be recognized for something I love doing," said Nixon. 
            The final award, Friend of Literacy, was given to both the New 
            Jersey Herald and Sparta Recreation Department. Recipients received 
            a certificate and personalized clock shaped like a book. 
            According to Suzanne Boland, staff member of LVSC, the purpose of 
            this organization is "to promote and foster increased literacy in 
            Sussex County and contiguous areas through free, student-centered 
            volunteer teaching and aid to low-literate and non-English speaking 
            adults; to encourage and aid individuals, groups or organizations 
            desiring to increase literacy through voluntary programs." 
            Board member and tutor Marguerite Gadel spoke to the crowd of about 
            120 guests before awards were given out. She said LVSC has been 
            tutoring for over 3,400 hours and more than six students have gotten 
            promotions and drivers licenses. Board Treasurer Terence Wynne, who 
            is a financial adviser in Newton, announced the award winners. 
            For more information about the Literacy Volunteers of Sussex County 
            visit www.literacyforyou.org. 
            


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