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Donate to Literacy We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization Tax ID: 91-1220307 Planned Giving Help our community grow and thrive by supporting increased literacy. Give Now Also see... Give Now Drop off Cash Stop in during office hours... cash donations give you the highest tax deduction from your gross income. Mail a Check Make checks payable to Whatcom Literacy Council. If you’re donating in honor of someone, please write this information on the memo line of your check. Tax receipts will be mailed within 4 to 6 weeks after the donation has been processed. Mail to: ​ Whatcom Literacy Council P.O. Box 1292 Bellingham, WA 98227 Donate Online Use your credit or debit card... and consider checking the "monthly" box to make it a regular recurring donation that will provide us with a sustainable revenue stream. By Paypal By Venmo By MightyCause $30 donation provides needed learning resources for learners and tutors. $50 donation supports a learner/tutor pair for 1 month. $300 donation supports a learner/tutor pair for 6 months. $600 donation supports a learner/tutor pair for 1 year. Shop Online at Village Books and Paper Dreams When you want to shop online at Village Books and Paper Dreams, click the button below first. Then, whenever you make a purchase on their website, they'll donate a portion of your sale to us. This is a great way to support a local merchant and literacy for all! Shop and Donate Also see... Planned Giving

Programs & Classes Improve Basic Literacy Skills Free tutoring for English-speaking adults who want to improve their skills. FREE ADULT LITERACY PROGRAM (ALP) IN WHATCOM COUNTY Our Adult Literacy Program offers free tutoring services for English-speaking adults looking for help with basic reading and writing skills, GED test preparation, and/or basic computer skills. How it Works Learners are carefully assigned to a volunteer tutor. that best matches their needs. ​ The tutor will help the learner identify their goals. Learners will meet with this tutor two times per week to work on these goals together. Each tutoring session is coordinated at a time that fits the learner's schedule. Each tutoring session is held in a public location within the learner's community. All tutoring is customized and confidential. Contact Ashley Meyer Adult Literacy Program (ALP) Coordinator ​ she/her/hers alp@whatcomliteracy.org (360) 752-8681 Languages Spoken: ​ English What You Can Achieve Learn or improve basic reading and writing skills. ​ Prepare for a GED (General Educational Development) test. ​ Learn or improve basic computer skills. ​ Increase employment opportunities. ​ Gain the skills necessary to continue your education. ​ Enjoy reading for daily life. ​ Improve your parenting skills.

Contact Us By Phone: (360) 752-8678 By Email: info@whatcomliteracy.org Our staff work part-time. Please schedule an appointment if you want to meet someone in person. Physical Office On Bellingham Technical College campus 3028 Lindbergh Avenue Building A Bellingham, WA 98225 Mailing Address PO Box 1292 Bellingham, WA 98227 For instructions on how to use TTY Services, please go to the Washington Relay website. For TTY Telephone access, please dial 7-1-1. Public Transportation Whatcom Transportation Authority (WTA) Bus #3 (to Maplewood/Cordata) and Bus #4 (Maplewood to Downtown) serves the BTC campus. The main bus stop for the BTC campus is located on Lindbergh Avenue, in front of the Haskell Center (HC) building.

Donate to Literacy We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization Tax ID: 91-1220307 Give Now Help Whatcom Literacy Council remain sustainable into the future. Planned Giving Also see options to... Planned Giving Employer Matching Gifts Starbucks, Boeing, Microsoft, Alaska Airlines... these and many other companies will match your donation resulting in doubled and sometimes tripled contributions. All it takes is for you to request the match... usually by filling out a form from your employer. Individual Retirement Accounts or 401(k) Name Whatcom Literacy Council as a beneficiary of your retirement account or direct the Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) us. Charitable IRA Rollover If you are age 70-1/2 or older and taking minimum distributions, you can donate from your IRA without a tax penalty. Life Insurance This option allows you to make a significant gift to charity, with tax benefits that you can enjoy during your lifetime. Appreciated Stock Your gift of stock gets reinvested in Whatcom County, and qualifies you for an immediate tax deduction based on the full market value. Estate Gifts Include a charitable bequest in your will for a lasting gift to our community. Charitable Remainder Trust This option allows you to receive income for the rest of your life, knowing that the remainder will benefit Whatcom Literacy Council and our community. Private/Family Foundation Managing family foundations can present many challenges. Converting to a donor advised fund can provide administrative ease while continuing to carry out the family foundation’s impact. Real Estate The value of your real estate may exceed any other asset you own. Using property gains can fulfill your charitable interests while providing financial and tax benefits. Closely Held Corporations Donors can give shares of closely held corporations, and once sold, the proceeds can support Whatcom Literacy Council. Tangible Personal Property Real property such as artwork with a certified appraisal can fund your charitable goals. Also see options to... Give Now

Volunteer With Us Support instructors who are teaching basic English at our local colleges. Classroom Assistant CLASSROOM ASSISTANTS HELP OUT IN ENGLISH CLASSES CLASSROOM ASSISTANT Whatcom Literacy Council provides trained volunteers to help out in classrooms at Bellingham Technical College and Whatcom Community College at their instructors' request. These programs help their students be more successful and on track to graduate. Examples of the typical range of tasks our assistants provide include: Help the instructor prepare materials and make copies Help the instructor present information Provide classroom tutoring Lead small break-out groups Monitor students Offer encouragement to students Step 1 View the Job Description for becoming a Classroom Assisstant. Step 2 Download and Complete our Volunteer Application. Step 3 Contact the Classroom Assistant Program Coordinator. Need More Information? Contact us at (360) 752-8678 or send us an email.

Programs & Classes Small Group Classes Practice English, study for the GED, prepare for the citizenship exam, learn basic computer skills and more with our free small group classes. FREE SMALL GROUP CLASSES (SGC) IN WHATCOM COUNTY How it Works Learners gather together in small class groups. Small classes make interacting with instructors easy, and promote social skills. ​ Classes are held in a public location that is easily accessible and familiar. ​ Learners can attend as many classes as they need. All levels of education are welcome. Contact Gloria Garcia Small Group Class Coordinator ​ she/her/hers sgc@whatcomliteracy.org (360) 752-8679 Languages Spoken: English Español What You Can Learn Talk Time: practice English conversation. ​ GED (General Education Diploma): get prepared for the test. ​ U.S. Citizenship: get prepared for the test. ​ Computer Skills: learn how to use a computer and improve your skills. ​ Open Computer Lab: learn how to use online educational resources. View Current Classes

Frequently Asked Questions For Volunteers Interested in becoming a volunteer with Whatcom Literacy Council? Find answers to the most common questions below. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs) FOR VOLUNTEERS What type of tutoring do you offer? One-to-one tutors help each learner work toward their goals of basic reading, writing, computing, and preparation for the GED (general education diploma). What group classes do you offer? We offer Small Group Classes for English as a second language. Contact us for a current class schedule. What is Talk Time? Talk Time is an English conversation class for adult learners. Here you will practice speaking, listening, writing, and reading in English. How often do one-to-one tutors meet with learners? We ask pairs to commit to meeting two times a week, 90 minutes per session, for one year. How often do small group classes meet? Classes are offered in 8 week sessions during most school quarters. Where do tutor/learner pairs meet? Pairs meet at public locations throughout Whatcom County including libraries, grocery stores, coffee shops and more. Coordinators will assist in finding a convenient location. How much do tutoring and classes cost? All of our tutoring and classes are free of charge. Do I need a social security number to enroll? No. How do I get started? Call our office at (360) 752-8678. How long does it take to be matched with a tutor or to be added to a class? It varies. Sometimes it will only be a couple of weeks. Other times it can be a month or longer. It depends on how many tutors we have available at the time, which classes are going on and the times you are available to meet. Usually the more open your schedule is, the quicker we can place you. How large are your Small Group Classes? Our group classes typically average 3 or more learners. How long will it take to get my GED? Unfortunately, we can’t give you an exact answer. How long it takes to get a GED depends on many factors including your current reading and math level, how long it’s been since you were in school, and how much time you can devote to studying outside of class. For someone who has only been out of school a couple of years, has lots of time to study, and is reading at a high school level, getting a GED can take from 6 months to a year. For someone who has been out of school for many years, doesn’t have much time to study, and has difficulty reading, it could take many years to get a GED. Once you come in for pre-testing and we get to know more about you and your situation, we’ll be able to give you a better idea of how long getting a GED might take you. Can I have a one-on-one tutor and also attend Small Group Classes? Yes. None of your current Small Group Classes fits my schedule. What can I do? Please contact our staff to discuss your situation. We can be reached at (360) 752-8678. Para preguntas en español, pregunte por Gloria.

Frequently Asked Questions For Learners Interested in becoming a learner with Whatcom Literacy Council? Find answers to the most common questions below. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs) FOR LEARNERS What type of tutoring do you offer? One-to-one tutors help each learner work toward their goals of basic reading, writing, computing, and preparation for the GED (general education diploma). What group classes do you offer? We offer Small Group Classes for English as a second language. Contact us for a current class schedule. What is Talk Time? Talk Time is an English conversation class for adult learners. Here you will practice speaking, listening, writing, and reading in English. How often do one-to-one tutors meet with learners? We ask pairs to commit to meeting two times a week, 90 minutes per session, for one year. How often do small group classes meet? Classes are offered in 8 week sessions during most school quarters. Where do tutor/learner pairs meet? Pairs meet at public locations throughout Whatcom County including libraries, grocery stores, coffee shops and more. Coordinators will assist in finding a convenient location. How much do tutoring and classes cost? All of our tutoring and classes are free of charge. Do I need a social security number to enroll? No. How do I get started? Call our office at (360) 752-8678. How long does it take to be matched with a tutor or to be added to a class? It varies. Sometimes it will only be a couple of weeks. Other times it can be a month or longer. It depends on how many tutors we have available at the time, which classes are going on and the times you are available to meet. Usually the more open your schedule is, the quicker we can place you. How large are your Small Group Classes? Our group classes typically average 3 or more learners. How long will it take to get my GED? Unfortunately, we can’t give you an exact answer. How long it takes to get a GED depends on many factors including your current reading and math level, how long it’s been since you were in school, and how much time you can devote to studying outside of class. For someone who has only been out of school a couple of years, has lots of time to study, and is reading at a high school level, getting a GED can take from 6 months to a year. For someone who has been out of school for many years, doesn’t have much time to study, and has difficulty reading, it could take many years to get a GED. Once you come in for pre-testing and we get to know more about you and your situation, we’ll be able to give you a better idea of how long getting a GED might take you. Can I have a one-on-one tutor and also attend Small Group Classes? Yes. None of your current Small Group Classes fits my schedule. What can I do? Please contact our staff to discuss your situation. We can be reached at (360) 752-8678. Para preguntas en español, pregunte por Gloria.

Jobs The Whatcom Literacy Council relies on people who can provide strong academic skills and a desire to help foster literacy in our community. Work For Us EDUCATORS. TUTORS. MENTORS. Whatcom Literacy Council currently has no job openings. However we are always interested talking to potential new volunteers for One-to-One Tutoring, Small Group Class Facilitation, and Classroom Assistants. ​ Learn more here >