Our History | Literacy Volunteers of Greater Waterbury, Inc.

The Literacy Volunteers program was founded by Ruth Colvin in Syracuse, New York in 1962. It quickly grew into a national organization with affiliates throughout the United States. In 2002, Literacy Volunteers of America merged with Laubach Literacy to form ProLiteracy Worldwide, the largest adult literacy organization in the world. Although the methods and materials have changed through the years, the basic foundation remains the same: volunteers are trained to teach adults to read, write, speak, and understand English so that they may achieve personal, educational, employment, and civic goals.

Literacy Volunteers of Greater Waterbury (LVGW) began in 1974. As an accredited affiliate of ProLiteracy America, we are proud to be a member of a national and international network of community-based education programs. LVGW is located in the lower level of the Silas Bronson Library in downtown Waterbury.

LVGW strives to meet the literacy needs of adults in the Greater Waterbury area residing in the following 14 towns: Waterbury, Wolcott, Plymouth, Thomaston, Prospect, Naugatuck, Beacon Falls, Oxford, Cheshire, Bethlehem, Middlebury, Southbury, Woodbury, and Watertown/Oakville.