Literacy Volunteers is helping people — even in the pandemic

The coronavirus pandemic has shaken the foundations of practically every corner of the Santa Fe community, but none more so than our neighbors and friends lacking basic literacy and numeracy skills. In fact, these are the individuals most likely to have suffered job loss or had a family member become ill.

Reentering the job market or even applying for government assistance under one of the pandemic aid programs becomes almost insurmountable when one lacks the ability to understand the basic instructions for filling out a job application or government aid request.

Knowing the magnitude of the challenges facing adults with limited ability to read and write English, Literacy Volunteers of Santa Fe didn’t hit the pause button when Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced restrictions to protect New Mexicans from COVID-19. Literacy Volunteers, now in its 36th year of helping people acquire the ability to read and write in English, remained steadfast to its mission and adapted, turning its face-toface tutorials into online video sessions.

However, in practice, adapting to the pandemic has been more challenging than it might appear. For one thing, prior to the pandemic, some Literacy Volunteers tutoring sessions were conducted in workplaces. With many businesses shuttered, these sessions ended. In other cases, congregate facilities were simply closed to outsiders. A pilot program for 24 men and women at the Santa Fe County Adult Detention Facility had to be discontinued to protect against transmission of the virus.

The hurdles also cropped up on a more personal level. Mothers whose children were now home all day no longer could squeeze in the time for tutoring sessions. In other cases, a father who had lost a job could no longer afford internet service to continue his tutoring online. Spanish speakers taking English as a second language could no longer attend tutoring sessions. And then there were those individuals for whom the technology was too intimidating, thereby preventing them from participating online.

Now with the number of infections declining and vaccinations climbing, the first rays of sunlight following the night of pandemic are on the horizon. Literacy Volunteers now has growing waiting lists of people seeking the literacy skills to apply for citizenship as well as the numeracy skills and digital literacy skills required for employment. Discussions have even begun to explore resumption of literacy tutoring at the adult detention facility.

In short, our community has a pent-up demand for literacy tutoring. That is why I hope Santa Feans with the means will step up and support Literacy Volunteers of Santa Fe’s April 30 fundraising dinner. To buy a ticket, you just need to text literacysfreads to 243725 on your smartphone or go online to visit bidpal.net/literacysfreads.

The fundraiser will feature a catered three-course meal delivered to your home and an online video discussion and Q&A session with Luis Alberto Urrea, whose novel Into the Beautiful North is one of the selections for the Santa Fe Public Library’s Big Read event.

The need is great. Past data has indicated about 13 percent of Santa Fe residents over the age of 16 lack basic English literacy skills — meaning the ability to read and write at the third grade level. A great deal of human potential is being wasted because individuals without basic literacy are marginalized economically.

National studies have demonstrated that poor literacy skills are associated with the lowest median weekly earnings. Three-quarters of incarcerated individuals either do not have a high school diploma or high school equivalency credential or can be classified as “low literate.”

Basic literacy improves lives and enriches families, enabling parents the joy and satisfaction of being able to help their child with homework, become a U.S. citizen and move up the economic ladder to provide a better life for their families. Since 1985, Literacy Volunteers has helped some 40,000 Santa Fe-area residents. Literacy Volunteers can enable people to achieve their dreams, but only with your help.

Robert Guenther is a Santa Fe resident and serves on the development committee of Literacy Volunteers of Santa Fe.