Volunteers Needed

I recently learned that there is a great need for volunteers to teach English at the Church Humanitarian Center. The workers will begetting four hours of English help a day. That means they need lots of volunteers and there would be a lot of different time slots available. Volunteers would be working with very small groups or one on one. The English Skills Learning Center is setting up training for those who want to be involved. It is a fabulous opportunity for service and cultural enrichment. Just call Denise at 801-328-5608.

My own experience with the ESLC [English Skills Learning Center] has been a very positive experience for about ten years. This new opportunity makes me consider adding more tutoring time to my schedule. It is so rewarding to work with people who are desperately in need of basic help. Meet Rosalba I love Rosalba. She tries so hard and cares so much and is so faithful. Rosalba and I have been friends for about four years, but we are just now learning how to have really good conversations together. I meet with her every Monday and Wednesday for an hour to an hour and a half unless one of us cancels. Sometimes she has to go in to work on Wednesdays. She stays after I leave and works on the computer using Rosetta Stone. Rosa is from Mexico and didn't learn to read and write in Spanish. She said her teachers scolded her and she would go outside and play. We started with the alphabet. She is still dyslexic, but can now read and write. We work mostly on English, but sometimes I have her read in Spanish. Because she has been in the United States for more than ten years, she knows lots of words, but it is often difficult to understand her because of her pronunciation. She doesn't pay much attention to end consanants. Rosa is shy. She has little opportunity to speak to anyone in English. She has never spoken with her neighbors. She often teaches me Spanish words and explains things to me. She has helped me not be afraid to talk with non-English speakers. She has given me courage to try to speak Spanish (at least in emergency situations). Because of Rosa I try to talk with non-English speaking people I see at NPS. I know they can understand me if I keep it simple and talk slowly and clearly.
--Jane Babcock