Celebrating our 60th Anniversary, our 2022 Annual Recognition Ceremony was a resounding success! Hosted at the Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center at Northern Virginia Community College, Alexandria Campus, over 200 people gathered to celebrate the contributions of staff, stakeholders, volunteers, and especially our learners. The theme was “English Education Empowers Me”, which learners expanded upon as a writing prompt to showcase the true impact of beginning English education. The event featured incredibly moving live readings from our student essay winners (Milton Torres, Sobeida Valle, and Masooma Jowhary), a celebration of our Volunteers of the Year (William Meara, Naila Amiri, and Maura Sleevi), a heartfelt speech by James Lee’s own Ms. Alma Amaker, and acknowledgements of the unwavering support from our fantastic community partners (James Lee Community Center, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and Virginia Department of Social Services).
If you would like to read our 100+ student essays that highlight the purpose of our mission, please check out our 2022 Annual Recognition Ceremony Program Book here. Please see our Literacy Council of Northern Virginia Facebook page for photos of the event. Thanks to everyone for 60 years of excellence and service, and we look forward to what the next 60 years will bring!