Nonprofit founder with no teaching experience helps global literacy from basement.
Ruth Johnson Colvin, the founder of a renowned volunteer organization dedicated to tutoring basic language skills to functionally illiterate individuals in the United States and around the world, passed away at the age of 107 at her home in Syracuse, New York. Her daughter, Lindy Webb, confirmed her death in 1961. Ms. Colvin, a middle-aged homemaker and mother of two, was shocked to learn that over 11,000 residents in Onondaga County, New York, were unable to read or write according to the recent census. Despite having no prior teaching experience, she was determined to address this issue.
Ms. Colvin took action by establishing an office in her basement, recruiting volunteers from local churches to serve as tutors, developing training manuals, and organizing outreach programs to assist residents, many of whom were immigrants, in learning basic English. This initiative aimed to provide them with opportunities for employment, education, and improved quality of life. Although progress was slow initially, the organization, known as Literacy Volunteers, was officially chartered as a nonprofit in 1967 with Ms. Colvin as its first president. Over the following years, the organization expanded its reach, secured government and private funding, established programs across multiple states, gained national recognition, and eventually rebranded as Literacy Volunteers of America.
Following a merger with Laubach Literacy International in 2002, the organization was renamed ProLiteracy. It now operates hundreds of programs with 100,000 tutors in 42 states and 60 countries, offering language lessons in various settings such as homes, workplaces, and correctional facilities. Ms. Colvin continued to serve as a teacher and leader for six decades, traveling extensively and authoring 12 books on her experiences in the field of literacy education.
Source: The NY Times
