Lincoln Literacy

Lincoln Literacy Lincoln Literacy's mission is to strengthen our community with language and literacy skills.

This is the official page of Lincoln Literacy, an award-winning nonprofit organization based in Lincoln, Nebraska. Established in 1972, it provides English language and literacy skills to adults and families living in Lancaster County.

One of our favorite things to see at Lincoln Literacy is when our students gain the independence and confidence to go ou...
06/07/2026

One of our favorite things to see at Lincoln Literacy is when our students gain the independence and confidence to go out and explore our wonderful community on their own.

In May, two of our amazing students, Paw and Htee, took their children to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Rodeo. They originally planned to go with their wonderful volunteer tutor, Chris. But when Chris unfortunately fell ill, Paw and Htee Noe decided to take the leap and head to the arena anyway.

They had an absolute blast stepping into a brand-new cultural experience. Taking some expert advice from Chris before the show, they made sure to sit near the back to avoid any flying dirt.

They told us they truly loved seeing something they had never experienced before and loved embracing "new versions of life" right here in Nebraska. 🌽✨

We are so proud of Paw and Htee for using their growing confidence to create beautiful family memories. And a huge shout-out to Chris for being such an encouraging mentor.

Help Us Help Others Thrive

Our volunteer tutors do so much more than teach vocabulary — they open doors to our community and build the confidence our newest neighbors need to thrive.
Want to join our volunteer family? Learn how you can get involved at https://buff.ly/LJ0N0iz. 🙌💙

Literacy skills are built in real life, which is why we love doing stuff like this throwback to August 2025, when our am...
06/06/2026

Literacy skills are built in real life, which is why we love doing stuff like this throwback to August 2025, when our amazing Site and Data Coordinator, Azhar, led our students on unforgettable educational trips to Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium and the Lincoln Children's Zoo.

These weren't just fun days out — they were dynamic, real-world literacy labs. Our adult learners navigated the parks, read informational signage, and practiced conversational English in a brand-new environment, all while building strong bonds with one another.

🚌 To keep coordinating these enriching experiences, we depend on our community of volunteer tutors, staff coordinators, and donors like you.

Many of our newest neighbors face major transportation barriers, which is why Lincoln Literacy operates a fleet of 14-passenger vans. Our dedicated drivers ensure students can safely get to their weekly English and job-skills classes, and to community-building trips just like this one.

Gas and vehicle maintenance are vital to keeping our wheels turning. A gift today directly helps us fuel the vans that drive our students toward self-sufficiency and success.

👉 Will you help keep us moving forward? Donate today at https://buff.ly/KbX0SYO and help us help others thrive! 💙

In April, we celebrated the first work anniversary of our amazing coordinator, Valeria! 🎉At Lincoln Literacy, we frame o...
06/05/2026

In April, we celebrated the first work anniversary of our amazing coordinator, Valeria! 🎉

At Lincoln Literacy, we frame our work as a continuum of services — guiding our community members all the way from basic skills to big dreams. And Valeria’s journey with us has been incredibly special.

Last year, she attended the COABE conference as one of our students. She inspired us so much that she transitioned from the classroom straight into joining our staff team.

In her first year as a coordinator, Valeria has been instrumental in helping us strengthen our community and become a stronger organization. When her team showered her with anniversary love, Valeria shared:

"Thank you all so much for your kind words and for everything this year. It's been my pleasure to work with people like all of you, so kind, helpful, and with such a nice sense of helping and giving to others. I really enjoy working here, and I'm so grateful to be part of Lincoln Literacy. Gracias!"

Without our dedicated donors and volunteers, stories of lasting change like Valeria’s would not be possible. We are so grateful for the community of caring and learning that we get to build together every single day.

Thank you, Valeria, for all that you do! 🙌💙

Want to help more neighbors achieve their dreams? Visit https://buff.ly/hDwAuRf to see how you can get involved as a volunteer or supporter.

We had an incredible time connecting with neighbors at the OpportunityLNK: Community & Career Expo held at the F Street ...
06/02/2026

We had an incredible time connecting with neighbors at the OpportunityLNK: Community & Career Expo held at the F Street Community Center (City of Lincoln Government). 🤝✨

Partnering with the American Job Center of Lancaster and Saunders Counties and EmployLNK (Select Lincoln | Lincoln Partnership for Economic Development), our team was on-site during the expo to help local job seekers navigate career paths, meet with area businesses, and explore how Lincoln Literacy’s free language and workforce classes can help them achieve their professional dreams. Traditional career fairs like this are so vital for building a stronger, more inclusive workforce right here in Lincoln.

A huge shout-out to our amazing team members who stepped up to support our neighbors at the event, including Oscar, our dedicated practicum student, pictured on the left.

By providing language support and specialized occupational skills training, we are proud to serve as a bridge that allows highly motivated individuals to share their incredible talents with local employers and thrive in our community. 🚀

Take a look through the photos below to see our team in action. 📸👇

Our workforce readiness programs, career navigation services, and adult literacy classes are offered completely free to the community thanks to our generous donors and partners. Want to help us open more doors to meaningful employment in Lincoln? Visit https://buff.ly/Hk7LL4B to donate or volunteer today!

When Refah first connected with us, she took our specialized teacher preparation and para-educator prep classes, working...
05/30/2026

When Refah first connected with us, she took our specialized teacher preparation and para-educator prep classes, working closely with our team to navigate her career path. Thanks to her incredible dedication, she successfully secured a position as a local para-educator!

But Refah didn’t stop there. Driven by a deep passion for education and giving back, she dreamed of creating a space to pass along knowledge to the next generation. Lincoln Literacy was honored to pull together alongside her, helping her secure a dedicated location to officially launch her own Arabic school.

Today, Refah’s school thrives right here in Lincoln, serving between 20 and 50 students.

"I truly wanted to express, from the bottom of my heart, how grateful I am for Lincoln Literacy," Refah shared. "They have been such an incredible source of support in my life. I still think often about how Lincoln Literacy helped me find a place for my Arabic school, which is something that made such a huge difference for me and my students."

Refah is a beautiful example of our community of caring and learning in action. By providing the educational foundations she needed, she was able to turn around and build a bridge of opportunity for dozens of local families.

We are so incredibly proud of you, Refah, and we can’t wait to see how your beautiful work continues to grow.

Our workforce and professional prep classes are offered completely free to neighbors like Refah thanks to our generous community. Visit https://buff.ly/Hk7LL4B to learn how you can support our mission today.

On behalf of our staff, volunteers, and board members - thank you! Give to Lincoln Day 2026 broke all records with $219,...
05/29/2026

On behalf of our staff, volunteers, and board members - thank you! Give to Lincoln Day 2026 broke all records with $219,268 raised to help our 3,000+ students on their journey to literacy!

We are thrilled that over 400 people donated yesterday in support of our mission teaching English and workplace skills. We will use these funds to buy books, classroom supplies, diapers and snacks for our childcare, and gas for our 15-passenger vans.

We are overwhelmed with gratitude to the community. We walk alongside our students as they gain literacy and workplace skills to achieve their dreams - becoming a nurse, starting a business, reentering the profession from their country of origin, or gaining the computer and digital skills to take an offered promotion from entry-level to supervisor.

What did Lincoln Literacy staff do to celebrate? We went to the Sheldon Museum on the University of Nebraska campus to see the Hyphen American exhibit. I also visited my two favorite works - a Rothko and an Edward Hopper that are long-time residents at the museum.

Our classes start again on Monday for our summer session. Thank you to our 200+ volunteer tutors that teach at ten community locations all across Lincoln. We could not do this without each and everyone one of you!

Ever wonder what goes on inside our workplace and occupational skills classes? Our team has been busy this semester help...
05/29/2026

Ever wonder what goes on inside our workplace and occupational skills classes? Our team has been busy this semester helping neighbors build the language and technical foundations they need to thrive in local jobs.

Nancy shared that these specialized classes go far beyond vocabulary. Students are diving into real-world workplace skills — learning how to navigate safety protocols, master digital tools, understand industry regulations, and communicate effectively with supervisors and colleagues.

We are incredibly proud of the hard-working cohorts who completed their classes so far this semester:

- Instinct (Workplace Level 1)

- Kawasaki Lincoln Careers (Workplace Level 1)

- ECHO Collective (Computer Level 2)

- Food Safety Certification

Not pictured: We also had three driving safety classes wrap up successfully this semester!

By teaching these targeted job skills alongside English, we can provide the precise language bridge that highly motivated individuals need to unlock their professional talents right here in Lincoln.

Take a look through the photos below to see our amazing students in action. 📸

Our workplace literacy programs are offered completely free to students thanks to our generous donors and community partners. Want to support workforce development in our city? Visit our website at https://buff.ly/Hk7LL4B to learn how you can donate or volunteer today.

Meet CĂ©sar, a Computer Engineering graduate from Cuba who currently works as an operator at Instinct.When CĂ©sar first jo...
05/28/2026

Meet CĂ©sar, a Computer Engineering graduate from Cuba who currently works as an operator at Instinct.

When César first joined our free workplace English classes at Instinct Pet Foods last September, he started as a low beginner. But César is always in "student mode." Thanks to his incredible drive and hard work, he recently advanced to High Beginner. 🚀

Six months ago, basic interactions were a major challenge. Today?

"Both at work and in the community, I understand much more of what people say to me," CĂ©sar shared. "Although I do not speak English perfectly yet, I can understand a lot more than before, and that makes me feel very good and more confident in my daily interactions."

For highly skilled professionals like CĂ©sar, learning English serves as the essential "language bridge" to unlocking their full potential right here in Lincoln.

"Being able to communicate in English is my primary goal right now, as it would open the doors to many opportunities, both professionally and personally," he said.

Our life-changing, nonprofit literacy programs are only possible because of our amazing community. When asked what he would say to the donors who keep our classes completely free, CĂ©sar said:

"Thank you, a thousand times, thank you. Please continue with this beautiful work, which helps so many people who wish to continue developing their talents and building a better future. Your support truly changes lives."

We are so proud of you, César! 🌟

📸 Photo: César is the tall guy on the far left of the group photo from last fall's Instinct cohort.

Want to empower more neighbors like CĂ©sar?

Donate to Give to Lincoln Day (Lincoln Community Foundation) through midnight TONIGHT (May 28) at https://buff.ly/rsyCVkJ.

Or visit our website at https://buff.ly/Hk7LL4B to learn how you can support our free classes and tutoring programs any day of the year.

Oleksandr joined our high-beginner English class last fall at level 2. By this May, he tested all the way up to level 5....
05/27/2026

Oleksandr joined our high-beginner English class last fall at level 2. By this May, he tested all the way up to level 5. Back home in Ukraine, he was a highly accomplished electrical engineer. When he arrived in Nebraska, he started out as an assembly line worker at Kawasaki Lincoln Careers, taking Lincoln Literacy’s on-site workplace classes and learning with our wonderful instructor, Nataliia.

Thanks to his immense hard work, Oleksandr recently reached a major milestone toward his dream career: he just accepted a position as an Electrical Switchgear Tester at Eaton Corporation's Omaha Power Center. ⚡️🛠

But his professional growth is only half of the beautiful story. Last year, he met Yana in our literacy classes. We were able to help Yana transition into a healthcare career, and she now works at Bryan Health. The two fell in love, moved to Omaha this April, and they are officially getting married this June! To make their new chapter even more special, they are also expecting a baby soon. 👶🍼

Oh, and did we mention Oleksandr is a professional long-distance runner? Even after moving to the U.S., he kept up his passion, competing in a massive race this year and finishing in the top 300. 🏅

From basic English to an engineering career, we are so proud to share Oleksandr's phenomenal journey.

Oleksandr and Yana’s story shows exactly what happens when determination meets opportunity. It takes a community of caring, volunteer tutors, and dedicated donors to keep our classes completely free so our newest neighbors can thrive.

Want to support students like Oleksandr? Donate to Give to Lincoln Day (Lincoln Community Foundation) through midnight on May 28 (TOMORROW) at https://buff.ly/rsyCVkJ.

Learn more about our free language and workforce programs, sign up to volunteer, or give after May 28 at ➡️ https://buff.ly/Hk7LL4B.

Laiq served 17 years in the Afghan Special Forces and worked in a prosthetic lab before arriving in Nebraska in 2021. To...
05/26/2026

Laiq served 17 years in the Afghan Special Forces and worked in a prosthetic lab before arriving in Nebraska in 2021. Today, he is working hard to transition his passion for healthcare into a sustainable medical career right here in Lincoln.

"In the medical field, you can work with everybody, help everybody, every gender, religion... So there is no border." — Laiq

We are so grateful to 10/11 News for highlighting Laiq's incredible journey and the impact of the federal Afghan Refugee Career Development grant!

Through our partnership with the Nebraska International Council for Refugees and Immigrants, this federal grant allowed us to offer support for books, tuition, and diploma assessments. This ensures our new neighbors can step into their chosen fields or begin the journey toward their dream careers.

It takes an entire community of caring and learning to open these doors. To our dedicated volunteers, donors, and community partners — thank you for walking alongside our students from basic skills to big dreams.

Did you know your gift in May goes even further thanks to a proportional match from the Lincoln Community Foundation?

Donate to help learners like Laiq for Give to Lincoln Day through midnight on May 28 at 👉https://buff.ly/rWhbpvt

After May 28, you can give on our website at lincolnliteracy.org.

Address

1023 Lincoln Mall, Ste. 104
Lincoln, NE
68508

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

(402) 476-7323

Website

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