12,000 hours of volunteer service tutoring adults to communicate in the English language.

Dorothy Jansen has volunteered for the Kenosha Literacy Council for the past 14 years. She began as a tutor and is now the Learning Lab Coordinator.

Dorothy has served over 12,000 hours since joining RSVP 14 years ago. She began as a drop-in tutor at the Kenosha Literacy Council. The Literacy Council provides English literacy education at adults with the assistance of trained volunteers. Dorothy was trained to help adults learn to communicate in the English language in a comfortable, one-to-one or small group learning environment.

As the Learning Lab Coordinator, Dorothy tutors students, administers tests to detect the literacy level of new students, and matches volunteer tutors with students.

Literacy is a fundamental ingredient in building strong families, a good economy and a healthy community. Adults need to know how to read, write, and speak in English so they can participate in the workforce and earn wages that support their families and communities.

Ashleigh Hendricks, the Executive Director of the Literacy Council, describes Dorothy as “indispensible.” She is part of their fundraising team, going out into the community soliciting donations and recruiting teams for the annual corporate spelling bee. She has taught inmates at the Kenosha Correction Center.

Dorothy models tenacity of purpose in her volunteer work. She is devoted to the cause of teaching literacy skills to adults. I am nominating her for this award because of her passion, dedication and commitment to teaching literacy skills over the past 14 years. Her work to raise funds in support of the Kenosha Literacy Council has had a profound impact on that organization and her volunteer service has improved the quality of life for countless people in our community.