Literacy Volunteers of Bangor strengthens our community by providing free English language tutoring to Bangor area adults.

We affirm the following as guiding principles for everything we do:

• Literacy is a civil right, the foundation of democracy.
• There is no substitute for the caring heart of a volunteer.
• Everyone has the right to access lifelong learning opportunities.
• Barriers are challenges to be eliminated.
• We believe in readiness instead of compliance.
• There is no such thing as an average learner, and there is no such thing as the best way to learn.
• We seek to change the direction of students’ lives without judgment, not to change their lives.
• We provide opportunities for lifelong learning, not remedial education.
• Adults expect and deserve individualized, personalized education.
• Mistakes are opportunities to learn.
• The adult learning process is a teacher/student partnership and relationship.
• The process begins by starting where the adult learner is.

Our history includes the busy mother of three preschoolers who couldn’t say no to a nun. The woodsman who signed his name with an X. The immigrant student who became a major supporter. And hundreds more.

For over 50 years, our story has been one of extraordinary people filled with grit and dedication — volunteers, students, and donors. They made us one of the first volunteer literacy programs in the country, and they keep us moving steadily into the future.

In 2020, Literacy Volunteers began to update its Strategic Plan. Given the pandemic, however, nothing seemed certain. So we postponed updating the plan until a more settled time.

This plan represents the work of several LVB strategists with research and input from our constituents (students, volunteers, donors, and partners). We’ve identified five ambitious Strategic Goals with corresponding Outcomes and Actions to work towards over the next four years.

A much more detailed document is available upon request at info@lvbangor.org.

Each year, we compile results of our programming year. We assess how many students we’ve served, what types of goals they have reached, how many volunteers support this mission with their time, and how we’re doing financially.

These Annual Report Cards are quick snapshots that represent our progress and are accessible to the public. See archived reports HERE.