IN HONOR OF LITERACY VOLUNTEERS OF AMERICA, PRINCE WILLIAM, INC. THE REWARDS AND RECOGNITION NIGHT; Congressional Record Vol. 165, No. 205
(Extensions of Remarks - December 18, 2019)
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[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1609]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
IN HONOR OF LITERACY VOLUNTEERS OF AMERICA, PRINCE WILLIAM, INC. THE
REWARDS AND RECOGNITION NIGHT
______
HON. GERALD E. CONNOLLY
of virginia
in the house of representatives
Wednesday, December 18, 2019
Mr. CONNOLLY. Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize and congratulate the
Literacy Volunteers of America, Prince William, Inc. and the 2019 award
recipients. These honorees have dedicated themselves to promoting
educational opportunities and to continuing their own education.
LVA-PW was formed in 1991 by a local librarian, joined by other
librarians and teachers to provide adult literacy services. Its mission
is to teach adults the skills of reading, writing, and speaking English
in order to help individuals increase their chances of success and
expand their professional and personal opportunities. With the help of
more than 220 professionally-trained volunteer tutors, this program
helps over 700 adults each year. It is the largest adult literacy non-
profit in the county and is tuition free. At the Rewards and
Recognition Night LVA-PW honors the Tutor of the Year, Student of the
Year, and Volunteer of the Year. It is my honor to include in the
Record the names of the 2019 award recipients:
Tutor of the Year--Richard Cantu: Richard has been an LVA-PW
volunteer tutor for over five years. He also been a 1-1 tutor and
tutored an Adult Basic Education class to help low-level students
improve their reading and writing skills so that they can successfully
enter the GED program. Richard has been instrumental in helping over
250 students during his time in our program. His hard work and
dedication have positively impacted the lives of over 800 family
members. Since becoming a volunteer, he has contributed over 550
tutoring hours and over 220 hours on other activities including lesson-
planning. His students have told our staff how much they look forward
to Mr. Rick's class--he always has a smile and positive outlook and is
encouraging to every student he tutors.
Student of the Year--Mashood Ahmed: Mashood is originally from
Pakistan and moved here less than two years ago to be with his family.
Mashood has been a student in the program for just over one year. He
joined this program to better his life and further his education. His
goal is to improve his reading and writing to earn his GED credential
and eventually attend Northern Virginia Community College. Mashood
works part-time at a local school cafeteria and Wendy's in Dale City,
where he practices his English on the job. Since enrolling in our
program, he has had over 150 hours of instruction, is passionate about
improving his literacy skills and is committed to excellence at all
levels. His tutors are proud of his work and Mashood sets an example
for his classmates.
Volunteer of the Year--The Waite Family: Joe, Tiffany, Dora, and
Maggie are examples of exemplary citizenship and nurturing spirit in
the community. For over 10 years they have supported Literacy
Volunteers of America-Prince William, Inc. They are also active in
Azalea Charities and numerous other national and community endeavors.
Their consistent involvement has helped elevate the LVA-PW program this
last decade.
Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me once again in
congratulating Richard Cantu, Mashood Ahmed, and the Waite Family, on
being honored by the Literacy Volunteers of America-Prince William,
Inc. and I wish them continued success.
____________________
