Courtney Mabeus, The Examiner
2007-12-19 08:00:00.0
Current rank: Not ranked

WASHINGTON -

Pam Saussy has been the executive director of the nonprofit Literacy Council of Montgomery County since 2001. The organization helps adults learn or improve basic English reading skills. Founded in 1963, the council added a program in English as a second language in 1968 to respond to the county’s rapidly changing demographics. The council served 850 adults through about 550 volunteer tutors last year and has a waiting list of about 200 to 300 people. Saussy started at the organization in 1997 as a volunteer.

Who does the Literacy Council serve?

About 80 percent of our student population are women between 25 and 59. They need practical skills to be self-sufficient, and that’s what we try to do. We’re not trying to get them into college or even a GED, but some of them have had significant education in their own country. It might be to get a driver’s license, it might be to become a citizen. It might be to get a job or a better job. They’re parents. They’re moms and dads. They have to be able to talk to teachers.

What populations seek the council’s service the most?

It doesn’t change enormously from year to year. It tends to shift gradually. Our ESL program includes 61 countries. Korea is a big country for us, of course, China, El Salvador. We get a lot from South America, Central America.

More than half of the people you serve are Asian. Given this county’s large Hispanic population, doesn’t that seem surprising?

We serve the entire county. There are a lot of programs in the county already serving those populations.

Do volunteer tutors need to be proficient in other languages to help?

Everything is done in English. They do not need to speak a secondary language. A lot of them do. ... Over half have a graduate degree. It’s a pretty well-educated group.