Volunteers are the heart of our organization

Volunteers are the lifeblood of Literacy Advance! As the oldest and largest 100% volunteer-supported literacy organization in Houston, we could not function or deliver our programs effectively without our wonderful volunteers.

We are so grateful to all our volunteers, whether they are able to assist us regularly or just occasionally.

We have an ongoing need for volunteer tutors to deliver our various literacy programs to adults across the Houston community (click here to see our most pressing needs), but we also need willing volunteers to help in non-tutoring roles. Further details on each can be found below, or you can read our Volunteering FAQs.

Volunteering as a Tutor

Our two main tutoring programs are Adult Basic Education (ABE) and English as a Second Language (ESL), and tutors are always needed for both! We also run a busy schedule of Special Classes. Previous teaching experience is not required to be a tutor, nor is knowledge of another language — only the desire to help someone improve his or her life!

Literacy Advance offers tutoring opportunities at both our Wilcrest Drive and Bay Area locations, and at a variety of community partner sites throughout Houston. See a map of all current tutoring locations.

All volunteer tutors are asked to attend a Tutor Training Workshop (approximately 6 hours) prior to starting with a class, and also consent to a criminal background check. Neither of these incurs any costs for the tutor.

Volunteering in Other Ways

Volunteers are needed at Literacy Advance in a range of areas, including:

• Family Literacy (assisting at Family Literacy events at local schools)
• Events (helping before or at community events or seasonal activities, such as our Champions of Literacy series, our annual Scrabble and the City event, or the annual Larry Dierker Golf Tournament)
• Administrative Assistance (such as data entry, filing and covering the front desk)
• Student Orientation (assisting at or leading orientation sessions for new students)
• Literacy Advocacy (spread the word about the literacy need in Houston and what Literacy Advance is doing to address it—some of our best advocates are from our Young Professionals Network)

All of our volunteer opportunities are very flexible and very few require any regular time commitment. New volunteer opportunities are communicated approximately once per month. Volunteers can opt in as and when an opportunity of interest arises, and they have the time to be involved.

• Volunteer FAQs