Valley Peters is the director of adult services in the Teton Literacy Program in Jackson, Wyoming. She describes the program this way, "Teton Literacy Program is comprised of three component programs serving children, adults and families who are working to improve theirs peaking, listening, reading, and writing English skills. 

"We enable learners to integrate into the community. They can perform their jobs more skillfully and take better care of their needs and their families’ needs. They improve the skills they need for negotiating the cultural divide they face. One of the most important outcomes our students accomplish is that they are no longer afraid to speak English. By overcoming fear in this area of their lives, they feel more confident in other areas, as well.

"I have found Thinkfinity Literacy Network (LiteracyNetwork) extremely useful in training volunteers who want to improve their knowledge and skills. It’s wonderful to be able to refer people to the site and know they are going to get quality information. As a result, I plan to incorporate information about, and from, Thinkfinity Literacy Network into future volunteer trainings and in our teacher professional development. Thinkfinity Literacy Network saves me a lot of time!

"After I took the course, Valuing Volunteers: Effective Methods of Retaining Today’s Volunteers, I had a great collection of ideas to implement. I not only created a volunteer recognition plan, but developed a volunteer position to strengthen communication between me and the tutors in the adult program. Since I have filled the volunteer liaison position, I have noticed an increase in tutor log reporting from adult tutors.

"When you consider all of the volunteer opportunities available, there are few that give you the opportunity to truly impact another person’s life as much as being a literacy tutor. The rewards of volunteering in a literacy program with a child or an adult have a ripple effect that influences life far beyond your hours of service."