Our History

An Overview

LVCC is a private non-profit organization governed by a volunteer Board of Directors and operated by five part-time staff members, including federal work-study students from Northern Arizona University and AmeriCorps volunteers. Funding for LVCC comes from the United Way of Northern Arizona, City of Flagstaff, Coconino County, private foundations, individual and business donors and fundraising. LVCC receives no state or federal money for its operations.

Our Origins

LVCC was started in 1992 as an initiative of the United Way of Northern Arizona. In 1995 LVCC became an affiliate of Literacy Volunteers of America. Inc. (LVA) and was recognized as the Organization of the Year by the Arizona Daily Sun. In 2002 LVA and Laubach Literacy International merged to become the world's largest volunteer literacy organization, ProLiteracy Worldwide. In 2002 LVCC became a fully accredited affiliate of ProLiteracy America, the United States division of ProLiteracy Worldwide.

Our Accomplishments

Over the years, LVCC has sponsored programs in literature, family literacy, computer literacy, workplace literacy and Spanish for tutors. LVCC launched the Flagstaff Reads Literacy Lecture Series in 1995 and the Northern Arizona Book Festival in 1997. LVCC continues to assist in the volunteer coordination of the Book Festival. LVCC opened The Literacy Center (TLC) in the spring of 2008, providing on-site learning opportunities for the first time. In 2010, we added drop-in tutoring services to our program model. In 2011, we began developing the Partnership for Literacy Rehabilitation (PLR)
which provides tutoring for the incarcerated and newly released adults and teens in Flagstaff. TLC is also a site for Northern Arizona University student interns and practicum students who wish to learn about managing non-profits, promoting social justice, and developing language and literacy skills.