In the Streets
2025-09-13 11:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York)
Save the date for the annual In the Streets festival on Saturday, September 13, hosted by Celebrate Frederick. We will be there from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. across from Surelocked In Escape Games at 5 N. Market Street. The festival has been a Frederick tradition for over 30 years and is held along Market Street and Carroll Creek Urban Park. The festival highlights the historic downtown and explore the art and non profit resources that helps Frederick thrive. Visit the Literacy Council table to ask questions in-person and learn about our program. If you have been thinking about getting involved in the community as a volunteer, we can help you get started!

WORKPLACE LITERACY DAY
2025-09-15 11:00 - 12:00 | Workforce Services 200 Monroe Ave, Frederick, MD 21701, 200 Monroe Ave, Frederick, MD, 21701, United States
Culture and the American Workplace
Location: Workforce Services 200 Monroe Ave, Frederick, MD 21701
Time: 11:00am hour
Description: 1 hour workshop on best practices for workplace communication focused on cultural differences between Spanish-speaking individuals and English-speaking U.S. residents (how to talk to your boss directly, workplace jargon, etc.)
*No registration required

Fall Community Class Session
2025-09-22 - 2025-11-22
Our Fall Community Classes started on September 22nd and run through November 22nd. Learn more about our community classes.

Virtual Volunteer Information Session
2025-09-29 12:00 - 13:00
Join us for a Volunteer Information Session to learn all about the volunteer options offered by the Literacy Council. Register here for this virtual session.

Volunteer Appreciation Picnic
2025-10-05 14:00 - 17:00
The Literacy Council is hosting an informal Volunteer Appreciation Picnic to thank our amazing volunteers! Watch your inbox for more details!

Virtual Volunteer Information Session (VIS)
2025-10-15 10:00 - 11:00, 2025-11-04 18:00 - 19:00, 2025-11-13 13:00 - 14:00, 2025-11-24 10:00 - 11:00, 2025-12-18 11:00 - 12:00, 2026-02-18 18:00 - 19:00, 2026-03-12 10:00 - 11:00

Walk Your 5K with Andrew
2025-11-08 09:45 - 11:00 | Baker Park Bandshell, North Bentz Street 21, Frederick, MD, 21701, United States
Meet Andrew Saturday, November 8, at 9:45 AM. Then take off walking at 10AM. After you complete the 5K you will be able to go home with your medal. Register today: https://secure.qgiv.com/…/liter…/event/runforliteracy5k/

Run with Denise Meetup
2025-11-09 09:00 - 10:00 | Brunswick Visitor Center, West Potomac Street 40, Brunswick, MD, 21716, United States
Meet Denise at the Brunswick Visitor Center on Sunday, November 9, at 9 AM. Start your run by 9:15 AM and run with Denise. Register today: https://secure.qgiv.com/…/liter…/event/runforliteracy5k/

Holiday Children's Book Drive 2025
2025-11-14 - 2025-12-22
Please share our flyer!
This holiday season the Literacy Council of Frederick County is partnering with ACNB Bank and Curious Iguana for our 19th Annual Holiday Book Drive to provide new and gently-used books for elementary school aged children (PreK through 5th grade). Last year, over 900 children’s books were donated!
The Literacy Council works with adults 18 years and older, many of whom are supporting families and young children. Providing appealing, age-appropriate books to children fosters literacy at a young age and helps to break the cycle of low literacy in families. The donated books from this annual book drive are given to parents of children in elementary school who are participating in the Literacy Council’s tutoring, parent literacy, workplace, or class instruction programs.
The Literacy Council works directly with the Judy Center and Butterfly Ridge, Hillcrest, Lincoln, Monocacy, Tuscarora, and Waverley Elementary Schools to provide programs at the schools for parents whose children attend these schools, and many of our other students also have young children with whom to share the books. Books will also be distributed to children at community outreach events throughout the year.
Suggestions for younger grades include: board books, picture books (fiction and nonfiction), early chapter books; and for older grades: mid-grade chapter books, paperback series, graphic novels, and STEM titles. Donors often like to share a childhood favorite or just encourage the habit of reading in a child. We request no religious holiday themed books so that we are not limited in distributing them.
To participate in the Holiday Book Drive, you may purchase and donate books between November 14 and December 22 at Curious Iguana (www.curiousiguana.com) in downtown Frederick (12 N. Market St.) – please designate your purchase to the Literacy Council’s Holiday Book Drive and Curious Iguana will collect them in a bin at their store.
Donated unwrapped books can be dropped off at these ACNB Bank locations between November 14th through December 22nd:
2 North on the Square: 2 North Market Street. Frederick, MD 21701
Aspen Ridge: 165A Thomas Johnson Drive, Frederick, MD 21702
Crestwood: 6910 Crestwood Boulevard, Frederick, MD 21703
Walkersville: 200 Commerce Drive, Walkersville, MD 21793

Giving Tuesday
2025-12-02
For sixty-three years, the Literacy Council of Frederick County has been helping adults with pathways to essential literacy skills. During this time, more than 10,000 students have worked with the Literacy Council and improved their literacy skills, which enabled them to be a thriving part of their communities in Frederick County. Just this year, 195 volunteers have dedicated more than 16,000 hours helping more than 575 adult learners through tutoring, community classes, parent literacy and workplace English programs.
Donate to the Literacy Council of Frederick County today so that we may continue to help our adult learners create the life they want through empowering them with newly acquired literacy skills. The impact of gaining English language skills has on an individual, their family and their community can be transformative.
When you support us, you help an adult learner reach their goals and meet their potential. From getting a GED or a driver’s license to finding a better job or to being able to communicate with their children’s teacher – these goals become achievable. Learning to speak, read, write and listen opens doors for our students that isn’t possible without the support of our volunteer tutors, teachers and from people like you.
Help us raise $3,500.00 this Giving Tuesday, so that we may continue to provide essential literacy instruction and materials to our adult learners. Through supporting us this Giving Tuesday, you are helping us demonstrate that Literacy Lifts Lives.

December Meet Up
2025-12-06 09:00 - 11:00
Join us and run/ walk the LCFC Run for Literacy Virtual 5K. Meet us at Baker Park at the entrance to the Edward P Thomas Memorial Pool on Saturday, December 6th. You can register in advance or donate at the meet up, either way you will leave with your medal!
Register: Run for Literacy Virtual 5k

Life Skills December Workshops
2025-12-10
We are so excited to offer three workshops during the month of December! These are open to current students who are intermediate or higher ESL learners and native English speakers, along with interested volunteers.
The Resilient You Workshop Online – December 10th, 6 PM – 7:30 PM
Interactive session to discover strategies to build confidence, manage stress, and cultivate resilience in the face of technological advancements. We hope participants feel empowered, inspired, and equipped with the tools and strategies to thrive in a digital world.
Resume Workshop, Literacy Council Office – December 10th, 2 PM – 3:30 PM
Hands on Resume Writing Workshop where students can use our device or bring their own. Connect U will walk students through the steps of selecting a template and create their resume. *Bring list of your work history with contact information and an active Gmail account.
LinkedIn Workshop, Literacy Council Office – December 17th, 2 PM – 3:30 PM
Hands on workshop where Connect U will walk students through creating a LinkedIn profile and uploading their resume to the platform.
Register for one workshop or all three here: https://forms.office.com/r/V8q1Y2X3DW?origin=lprLink

Tutor Training Workshop
2026-01-05 18:30 - 20:30, 2026-01-07 18:30 - 20:30, 2026-01-12 18:30 - 20:30, 2026-02-03 18:30 - 20:30
Prepare to tutor an adult who needs to learn English or a native English speaker who needs to improve their reading skills with three evenings of training by our experienced tutor trainers conducted on Zoom. All three evenings are required for completion. You must also attend one Volunteer Information Session (VIS) or an approved alternative prior to the training.

Eating to Thrive: how to Make the Change to Healthy Diet - Open to volunteers and learners
2026-01-14 12:00 - 13:30
Join Alison Wexler, National Board-Certified Health & Wellness Coach and Board President of The Common Market Co-op, to learn how to make the change to a healthy diet. You will identify what a healthy diet is, your reasons to making this life change, how to define your goals, and how to stay motivated.
Join us in our LCFC classroom or online for this hybrid workshop.
Register: https://forms.office.com/r/VUHgPYJD1T?origin=lprLink

Professional Development
2026-01-21 16:00 - 17:30
Professional development on the new Tutoring Program Testing Procedure.

Volunteer Information Session
2026-01-22 10:00 - 11:00
We are seeking volunteers to be trained as tutors for our one-to-one/small group tutoring program. In addition, we are also seeking volunteers with teaching experience and/or experience working with English Language Learners to lead ESL classes that will meet weekly for 60-90 minutes for 10-12 weeks. Classes are currently in-person and virtual on Zoom.

Winter Classes
2026-01-26 - 2026-03-27
Winter Class Schedule

GED Math Workshops
2026-02-17 12:00 - 13:00
Tackle GED Math with Mary Snyder, LCFC volunteer and professional librarian, in our GED Math Workshop series. Join us at the LCFC office for an in-person workshop on March 16 and online workshops on February 17, February 23, and March 27. Register for the areas you need. Registration link.

Oliver James: Unread
2026-02-22 16:00 - 18:00 | Frederick Book Arts Center, 127 S Carroll Street, Frederick, 21701, United States
Join us at the Frederick Book Arts Center on February 22 at 4 PM for an author talk and signing. Oliver James will discuss his journey to literacy. This event is cohosted by Curious Iguana.

2026 Unity Campaign
2026-03-04 08:00 - 2026-03-31 17:00
The Literacy Council is again honored to be one of 36 nonprofit organizations participating in the Unity Campaign for Frederick County, hosted by United Way of Frederick County. The Unity Campaign supports the over one in three households in Frederick County that struggle to afford basic human necessities. The campaign is focused on funding programs directly supporting the health, education, and financial stability of ALICE (Asset-Limited, Income-Constrained, Employed) households.
To donate online to the Literacy Council, please visit our Unity Campaign page. You may also donate by texting UnityFC26177 to 71777 or using the paper form.

Oliver James Author Talk
2026-03-04 18:00 - 20:00 | Frederick Book Arts Center, 127 S Carroll Street, Frederick, 21701, United States
Our Oliver James event is rescheduled for Wednesday, March 4th, at 6 PM. The event is at the Frederick Book Arts Center located at 127 S Carroll Street. We hope to see you there!
