Literacy Volunteers of Illinois (LVI) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that promotes adult literacy throughout Illinois. It serves families, adults, and out-of-school teens. History Literacy Volunteers of Illinois (LVI) was founded in 1979 to serve as a technical assistance and training agency for volunteer literacy programs affiliated with the national Literacy Volunteers of America organization. It initially served as a "mid-level" support system for local affiliated programs with the goal of monitoring and providing training to programs. The two recessions of the 1980s and the resulting displacement of millions of workers in the manufacturing industry who had difficulty finding new jobs based on their skill sets, sparked concerns about the literacy abilities of the nation’s population. The National Literacy Act of 1991 and the results of the National Adult Literacy Survey of 1993, which found that one in every four adults lacked basic literacy skills, also brought attention to the issue of low adult literacy rates in the U.S. The national recognition of a need for adult literacy initiatives helped it earn funding for AmeriCorps VISTA and AmeriCorps National Service Programs that place members in adult and family literacy programs around Illinois. In 1995 the Jump Start Program began, which recruits volunteers to act as tutors and mentors for incarcerated youth in the Illinois Youth Centers. LVI began by working with four national programs. Today, it provides resources and services to staff, tutors, and students in approximately 100 adult literacy programs statewide. Programs and services Resource and referral center LVI serves as a clearinghouse for individuals interested in becoming volunteer tutors by connecting them with literacy programs in their communities. They also provide initial and in-service training to tutors and staff, an annual statewide staff development conference, and the annual tutor and adult learner On The Road To Literacy Spring conference. National service Since 1992, LVI has sponsored five different federal and state AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps VISTA programs. These programs include the VISTA Literacy Corps, Project UPLIFT (Urging Partnerships in Literacy Initiatives for Families and Teens), Project I-CARE (Involving Communities in America Reads Endeavors), Project HEART (Hines Employees As Reading Tutors), and the current VOCAL (Volunteer Action in Community Literacy) Program. LVI has placed over 600 national service members in 150 adult, family literacy, and Head Start Programs throughout Illinois. LVI began its involvement in national service programs in 1992 as a sponsor of the AmeriCorps VISTA Literacy Corps. AmeriCorps*VISTA