A simple job interview or meeting with a new doctor can seem like unsurpassable challenges when paired with a language barrier, which is where Literacy Volunteers of America–Montgomery County steps in.

Tutors with the Montgomery County nonprofit work one-on-one or in a classroom setting with individuals seeking to improve their English. The organization provides assistance to a wide range of participants.

"[Literacy Volunteers] started because there were a lot more people out there who needed help with the basics who grew up here in the United States and supposedly went to school, but got into the working world and realized they really could not read," Program Manager Laura Davis said.

The international organization opened a local chapter in the city of Montgomery in 1989 for that purpose—to teach basic English to those in need, Davis said. The organization has evolved to provide programs which include instruction on English speech and pronunciation.

Classes are free, and students are not required to purchase materials, but donations are accepted, Davis said. Once a student calls the office to request classes, he is either assigned an individual tutor or a class, both of which meet in public places such as libraries, churches or community centers.

"We really work on meeting what students' goals are," she said. "We will have businesses call us and ask for help with their employees [who] need to learn more English."

Currently the organization works with 300 students and has about 70 tutors. Classes include one-on-one sessions with a tutor, one tutor to two learners and class sizes for larger groups.

"We try to help our learners in ways they want to be helped—we are trying to help them reach their personal goals," volunteer Twillia Liles said.

The biggest challenge, Davis said, is finding and securing tutors fast enough to meet the demand from students, paricu-larly in the fall and spring because those seasons correspond with when children return to school. Volunteers are required to attend a training course but do not need to be bilingual. Only a high school diploma and enthusiasm for the job is needed. Two-year volunteer Eva McKenna is one such tutor.

"I was born in Germany and, although [I] did grow up in the American school system, my mother came here with her four kids, and it was always a challenge to learn English," McKenna said. "So I always make sure whenever I am [tutoring], it's my mother who I am thinking of in my heart."

Spellabration

LVA-MC's main fundraiser is its annual spelling bee April 23. 6 p.m. $50–150. The Woodlands United Methodist Church, 2200 Lake Woodlands Drive, The Woodlands. 281-297-5900, www.thewoodlandsumc.org

Literacy Volunteers of America, 412 W. Phillips Road, Ste. 125, Conroe, 936-494-0635. www.lvamc.org