By Tori Wittenbrock
Intern
GREEN BAY – The dictionary defines a volunteer as a person who chooses freely to do something – for the past 10 years, Literacy Green Bay volunteer Bill Wright has done just that.
Wright’s efforts were recently recognized by Literacy Green Bay – naming him Volunteer of the Year for his hard work and commendable service to the community.
With more than 500 hours of volunteer service and 10 years of tutor experience, he has helped many students reach their literacy goals.
“The mission of literacy is to work with individuals who are learning the English language,” he said. “We try to help them determine what their goals are and then help them to meet those goals.”
Wright said that could be as simple as being able to speak with medical professionals or their children’s teachers.
“Or even to get an advanced degree,” he said.
Wright said many Literacy Green Bay learners have degrees in other countries and are seeking GEDs, with the intention of moving on to higher education.
Looking back
Wright said his work as a literacy tutor over the last 10 years hasn’t changed much, even during the COVID-19 pandemic, but Literacy Green Bay itself has evolved quite a bit to make sure it is offering adequate services for both its tutors and students.
“Literacy (Green Bay) is constantly improving things as far as its physical facility, its programs and attaining grants,” he said. “It always has great resources for tutors as far as materials and individuals who make themselves available whenever we have questions.”
Wright said he has many roles at the nonprofit and has continued to grow in his responsibilities to better both himself and his students.
“I started as a tutor, and that’s my primary role today,” he said. “Then, I wanted to get a little more involved to continue learning, so I started with tutor training, for which I had to get trained. I’ve been doing that for almost a year. I also started doing some testing.”
Working with learners
Wright said once students taking classes at Literacy Green Bay are ready for a tutor, they are tested and continue to be tested every 50 hours to determine what curriculum level is appropriate.
“Sometimes, literacy depends on the level a student starts at, depending on if they are reviewing letter sounds or going into words or pronunciation,” he said.
Wright said literacy is more than just reading.
“It’s reading, writing, speaking, conversation and listening,” he said.
Wright said tutors can use curriculum books to increase vocabulary, as well as use abridged versions of classic novels to address the many facets of literacy.
Another method Wright said he uses in his tutoring sessions is having learners dictate to him their family history, and then review it each time they meet.
“It helps with not only speaking, but also with proper usage of parts of speech,” he said. “This approach gets the learner to see the relationship between what you say, how you say it and the written word.”
Encouraging others
Wright said no tutoring experience is required to become a tutor with Literacy Green Bay.
“The joy of meeting learners from different countries is just tremendous,” he said.
Wright said Literacy Green Bay creates a sense of community for people learning the English language.
“There are many excellent nonprofits in Brown County, and Literacy (Green Bay) is one of them,” he said. “Its whole mission builds a sense of community (by) helping people to become more absorbed into the community through engaging socially or recreationally. Literacy (Green Bay) even has some classes now at businesses where they hold them right on-site.”
Wright said the bond created between a tutor and a learner is a great start and builds confidence.
Wright said his favorite part about his work with Literacy Green Bay is working with students.
“I’ve enjoyed the classes, too,” he said. “You can learn a lot from the experienced tutor trainers who have been doing this for a long time, because the tutor trainers are also tutors themselves. I just like continually learning and continually meeting really dedicated learners.”
Outside of his volunteer work, Wright said he has many hobbies, including the accordion, book club and going on walks.
He said his family means a great deal to him.
He and his wife of 53 years have four children – plus a bonus family member – and 15 grandchildren.