SILVER CITY, N.M. – Thelma Sordyl has been honored with the Tutor of the Year Award from the New Mexico Coalition for Literacy. She has served as tutor, event volunteer and Board member for Literacy Link – Leamos since that organization’s inception in 2001.

Thelma, a retired Silver High teacher and longtime Silver City resident, currently tutors people studying for the US Naturalization exam (citizenship). She has also provided tutoring in speaking English as a 2nd language, as well as workforce skills like resume-building and practicing for job interviews. She does a wonderful job running the door-prize activity at Love Your Library Day, an annual event at the Silver City Public Library.

The Santa-Fe-based New Mexico Coalition for Literacy is a statewide nonprofit that works to improve adult literacy rates. It supports about 20 community-based literacy programs.

Literacy Link – Leamos, based at the Silver City Public Library, provides free programs for Grant County residents, including one-to-one tutoring for children and adults in basic reading, writing, citizenship, English as a second language, high school equivalency prep, computer skills, and job-related skills. Their Let’s Read program gives thousands of free, new books to Grant County schoolchildren each year.