Volunteer Spotlight: Meet Samantha
As the Literacy Council celebrates our 60th anniversary of providing the Frederick County community with essential adult literacy programs, our volunteers are the driving force behind six decades of impact. Samantha Purvis is one of those passionate volunteers who we are honoring in this month’s Volunteer Spotlight as a tutor and class instructor. Samantha joined the Literacy Council after completing tutor training in September of 2022.
As part of our strategic plan to expand programs to meet higher demands, new class instructors have been recruited to teach English Conversation classes in satellite locations. Samantha has been tutoring students at the Brunswick Branch Library and has graciously stepped up to facilitate a Beginner ESL Conversation Class in the Spring Community Class Session. Our goal is to continue to expand our programs into additional communities in Frederick County. Samantha is also a dedicated tutor as part of the Tutoring Program.
With her background in teaching, Samantha uses her educational expertise to create engaging lessons such as role-playing dialogue for her students to participate in. She not only helps her students with functional literacy skills like making doctor’s appointments, but also provides her students with a sense of community. We encourage tutor volunteers to request training if they are interested in becoming a conversation instructor regardless of prior educational experience.
Samantha is extremely reliable, and is always willing to share her strategies and feedback to help improve programs. Holly Bohman, one of the Literacy Council’s four Volunteer Coordinators, stated: “Samantha Purvis has become our preeminent tutor at the Brunswick Branch Library. She stepped into the tutoring role confidently and quickly gathered various ESL students as they saw an opportunity to learn English. Samantha brings a lifetime of teaching experience to her students and meets them where they are in their learning journey. Samantha is well known at the library and the staff have identified other students for her. The Literacy Council is grateful to have Samantha represent us as she offers English language services to members of our Frederick County community.”
We are grateful for Samantha’s commitment to help Frederick County adults gain the English language proficiency and everyday life skills they need to build a sustainable future and become an integral part of our community. Thank you, from all of us at the Literacy Council!!
Last year, more than 145 passionate and dedicated volunteers contributed over 13,100 hours supporting the tutoring, class, parent and workplace literacy programs. The Literacy Council is always seeking volunteers, including class facilitators and instructors! Learn more by registering for a 60-minute Volunteer Information Session offered every month, followed by a Tutor Training Workshop. All sessions and workshops are currently conducted online.