GREEN BAY, Wis. (WFRV) – One local nonprofit in the City of Green Bay held an award ceremony for some of its volunteers and students on Wednesday.

Literacy Green Bay, a 2021 Top-Rated Nonprofit that helps adults and families acquire the reading, writing, math, English language, computer, and workforce skills they’ll need to function effectively as workers and community members held its breakfast award ceremony early Wednesday.

Several families and individuals received awards from that program and Local 5’s Tom Zalaski had the privilege to emcee the event.

“I am always so impressed by the learners and volunteers in this program,” explained Zalaski while talking to the crowd.

It’s true. The road to learning the English language is tough but the executive director for Literacy Green Bay says the student’s goals continue to change the more fluent they become.

“We love to work with the students and see how far they come. Some of them start with very basic levels of English and just to see them advance through the years, it takes a long time to learn English. It’s not a thing that most people can do in a couple of months,” said Robyn Hallet, Executive Director of Literacy Green Bay.

Volunteers also play a key role in the success of those learning the English language and the organization made sure to honor some of its most dedicated workers.

“I was taken aback when I was told I was going to be a recipient and it’s a real honor because there are so many, long-time, hardworking volunteers. When I retired I knew that I wanted to volunteer and when people asked me ‘why do you want to volunteer,’ I told them I just want to be a good neighbor,” said one volunteer at the event.

For more information about Literacy Green Bay, you can visit its website here.