A Passion for Literacy Leads to Cross-Cultural Service, an āI Love WCUā Story
Once a week for nearly three years, Anne Aldrich has left her home in Balsam and driven 35 minutes to western Buncombe County to scratch an itch she has for literacy. An avid reader since the age of 4, Aldrich is committed to helping others understand the meaning of words, even if English isnāt their first language.
āLiteracy has always been a huge passion of mine,ā said Aldrich, Western Carolina Universityās Assistant to the Provost for the past 13 years. āIāve been fascinated with books all my life and the thought that somebody couldnāt read was just like, āOh my God, how do you live like that? Youāre missing so much of the world.āā
Aldrichās desire to help others led her to the Literacy Council of Buncombe County, after discovering that her own Jackson County no longer has a literacy program. Aldrich signed up to help with the councilās English-as-a-second-language track because it had the greatest need, she said. She took the training and became a tutor to a 32-year-old woman, originally from Mexico, who is working to improve her English-speaking skills and training to be a doula.
āI go to her home every Monday night from 6 to 8. Sheās got four kids, so for her to go and take a class someplace was just not feasible,ā Aldrich said.
To help her student, Aldrich follows a curriculum that allows her the flexibility to include reading easy, simple novels and learning where to shop for good deals in Buncombe County. āSo, we went to the Habitat Restore, which she had never been to before,ā Aldrich said. āWe went to Loweās one time and just looked at flowers. We did a whole picture book about flowers.ā
Aldrich said her studentās children help their mother with language issues when she needs it. āHer biggest challenge is, because sheās at home, she doesnāt have the opportunity to speak English,ā Aldrich said. āShe reads English beautifully, she comprehends beautifully, but she doesnāt speak it enough, except the two hours Iām there every week, to be as comfortable.ā
āIāve been fascinated with books all my life and the thought that somebody couldnāt read was just like, āOh my God, how do you live like that? Youāre missing so much of the world.āā
For Aldrich, the time she spends volunteering with her student brings Aldrich a sense of peace and hopefulness in what has become a troubled world. āI see this person who so much wants to be a part of our society, has been a part of our society, contributing in myriad ways, but still feels outside of it because of language,ā Aldrich said. āAnd just the climate in the past few years has been much more difficult and challenging, and thereās a lot of fear there. I just want to give her a sense of hope and a sense of place and belonging and acceptance by somebody who doesnāt necessarily look like her.ā
Aldrich said her student, who is the same age as Aldrichās son, hasnāt seen her mother in 15 years; they speak only by phone. She hopes their kitchen table conversations about motherhood and life help fill the void her student likely craves to have with her mother. āI have been given so much in my life,ā Aldrich said. āYes, weāve all had our struggles. My mom has passed now. I canāt imagine not being able to see my mother and to be that far away from all of my family. So, for me, itās knowing that Iām contributing something positive to her life, that Iām giving her some comfort, that she knows Iām somebody she can reach out to regardless of whatās going on. I just want them to know thereās somebody in their corner.ā
Aldrichās volunteer work dovetails perfectly with this yearās in February, which urges all WCU faculty and staff to donate their time and talent as well as their treasure. WCUās Center of Community Engagement and Service Learning and Division of hope 100 percent of WCUās faculty and staff will participate.
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