Volunteer Spotlight: Steve W
Steve first joined Literacy Source as a volunteer in 2014, where he started by tutoring a student to prepare for and achieve their goal of becoming a U.S. citizen, and found the experience incredibly rewarding. His patience, encouragement, and commitment made a lasting impact, and we are so grateful for Steve’s support and dedication.
This past year, Steve returned to volunteer and has been a steady presence with our Ready to Work program, where he has once again been an incredible source of support for participants and staff alike. We are thankful to have Steve as part of our community and deeply appreciate the difference he continues to make in the lives of those we serve!
1. Where are you originally from? If you’re not from Seattle what brought you here?
I was born and raised in New York. I went to San Diego, CA for Law School and stayed there for my career. Mary and I moved to Seattle after retiring. We visited Seattle many times before moving here and fell in love with this area of the country. We love to hike and Mary loves to ski so the PNW was a natural for us.
2. Please share something of your life so far and what you would like to do in the future.
Upon graduating Law School, I took a job as a Public Defender for San Diego County. I enjoyed a 20+ year career as a trial attorney in that office. It was there that I met my wife, Mary who also enjoyed a lengthy career as a Public Defender.
Steve and his wife, May, on the Waitukubuli National Trail on the island of Dominica during their Peace Corps service.
Upon retiring we traveled to Costa Rica often and taught English as a second language in a small village in Guanacaste. After that, we both volunteered for the United States Peace Corps and were assigned to the Eastern Caribbean Literacy Program. We tutored struggling readers at the primary school level and created libraries. I also introduced softball to my village as a side project with equipment donated from the US. We have extensively traveled around the world and would like to continue to do so in the future.
3. Why did you choose to volunteer at LS?
Prior to starting the Peace Corps program, they encouraged us to get involved as a volunteer in a similar capacity. We found the Literacy Center opportunities online and joined the program for the first time in 2013. I tutored an individual studying for the citizenship exam and found it very rewarding. When we decided to volunteer again, the Literacy Source Center was a natural choice for me. My wife presently enjoys volunteering for the Reading Partners Program as well.
4. What do you like about volunteering at LS?
I thoroughly enjoy meeting people from different walks of life and helping them on their journey. I learn just as much from them as they learn from me, maybe more. In these trying times, the Literacy Source Center experience is a great reminder that there are way more good people out there than bad.
5. Any stories or highlights from volunteering at LS?
The highlight for me in volunteering is getting to know the students and a bit about their lives. I enjoy incorporating this knowledge into teaching as a way of introducing and reinforcing concepts. I find it creates a rewarding environment for both teacher and student. Another huge highlight was meeting Megan, the extremely talented teacher of the class. It was incredibly life affirming to meet such a dedicated young person willing to give so much of herself for such a great purpose.
6. What might people not know about you?
Well, the first time I ever played cornhole, I won a rather big tournament on Whidbey Island and was dubbed Captain Cornhole.😆