Blue Ridge Literacy

Blue Ridge Literacy Blue Ridge Literacy was founded in 1985 by two librarians who wanted to address a need in their community.

The mission of Blue Ridge Literacy is to support the achievement of life goals by providing opportunities to strengthen literacy skills to adults in Southwest Virginia. The mission of Blue Ridge Literacy is to support the achievement of life goals by providing opportunities to strengthen literacy skills to adults in western Virginia. One of our main philosophies is to keep a learner's goals and interests in mind when working with them. We encourage our volunteers, teachers, and tutors to get to know their learners or classroom so that they are better able to teach. Similarly, we tell all of our learners to ask their teachers questions and to tell their instructor what they are interested in. Operating tutoring sessions and classes in this way ensures a reciprocal relationship that may differ from a traditional student/teacher dynamic. BRL has found that developing relationships in an educational setting aids the learning process when working with adult learners.
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All 1:1 tutor training and classroom training is available to adults in the Virginia counties of Roanoke, Botetourt, Franklin, Alleghany and Craig, and the cities of Roanoke and Salem. https://www.blueridgeliteracy.org/about

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And here’s another glimpse from our Welcoming Week field trip! 💙Blue Ridge Literacy's learners had the chance to visit t...
10/05/2026

And here’s another glimpse from our Welcoming Week field trip! 💙

Blue Ridge Literacy's learners had the chance to visit the Permit Center, learn more about building, zoning, and development, and ask questions directly of City staff.

Thank you to the Permit Center team for welcoming us and taking the time to share your work with our learners 💙

On Saturday, September 19/26, 20 learners from Blue Ridge Literacy’s Leveled ESOL classes attended Opera Roanoke’s perfo...
10/05/2026

On Saturday, September 19/26, 20 learners from Blue Ridge Literacy’s Leveled ESOL classes attended Opera Roanoke’s performance of Verdi’s La Traviata at the Jefferson Center. 💙

Our group represented 8 countries, including Canada, Mexico, Iran, Brazil, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Afghanistan, and the United States—showcasing the multicultural and multigenerational nature of our adult learners.

For some of our learners, this was their first time attending an opera or visiting the Jefferson Center. It was a wonderful opportunity to practice English in a new setting while experiencing the music and performance of La Traviata.

A huge thank you to Opera Roanoke’s Free Community Ticket Program for making this inspiring evening of arts and culture possible!

This visit was part of Blue Ridge Literacy’s Beyond the Classroom Walls project, supported by Art in Roanoke.

Blue Ridge Literacy’s 5th Annual Field Trip to the City of Roanoke Municipal Building was a success! 💙As part of Welcomi...
10/05/2026

Blue Ridge Literacy’s 5th Annual Field Trip to the City of Roanoke Municipal Building was a success! 💙

As part of Welcoming Week 2026, 69 adult learners from our ESOL classes—from Pre-Beginner through Post-Advanced—visited City Hall. Our group represented 23 countries and spoke 12 languages, including English.

Learners met with City Manager Ms. Turner and Mayor Joe Cobb and explored city services and resources, including Lead Safe Roanoke, PLAY Roanoke, and The Permit Center.

It was a wonderful opportunity for our learners to become more familiar with their city and the resources available to them.

THANK YOU, City of Roanoke, Virginia - Government, for welcoming us! We are grateful for the opportunity to help our learners feel more connected to the city they call home. 💙

✨ Starting the new semester with a night under the stars! ✨On Saturday, September 12, 20 learners enrolled in Blue Ridge...
09/14/2026

✨ Starting the new semester with a night under the stars! ✨

On Saturday, September 12, 20 learners enrolled in Blue Ridge Literacy’s Leveled ESOL Classes attended Roanoke Symphony Orchestra’s 2026 Symphony Under the Stars.

Our learners and their accompanying family members represented Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, Spain, the United States, and Venezuela—a wonderful reflection of the diversity of our community. 💙

This was a wonderful way to start the new semester: enjoying great music, connecting with classmates, becoming more familiar with their new community, and practicing their English skills beyond the classroom.

This experience was part of Blue Ridge Literacy’s Beyond the Classroom Walls project, made possible through the generous support of Art in Roanoke.

For more information about our services and porgrams, call us at (540) 265-9339 or send a wahstapp message to (540) 355-3187

📚 Fall semester is here!We’re excited to welcome our learners back to class as they work hard to build their reading, wr...
09/03/2026

📚 Fall semester is here!

We’re excited to welcome our learners back to class as they work hard to build their reading, writing, and English communication skills! 💙

Blue Ridge Literacy offers year-round English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) classes at five levels: Pre-Beginner, Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, and Post-Advanced.

📍 In-person classes take place at the Main Library building of Roanoke Public Libraries downtown.
💻 Online classes are offered on Zoom.

We also offer Digital Literacy and Citizenship Preparation classes.

For more information and registration:

📞 Call 540-265-9339
📲 Send a WhatsApp message to 540-265-9339

☀️ Blue Ridge Literacy is registering for the FALL semester of classes! ☀️Classes start in September. Register now to sa...
08/25/2026

☀️ Blue Ridge Literacy is registering for the FALL semester of classes! ☀️
Classes start in September. Register now to save your spot!

✨️In-person and online English classes at 5 levels.
✨️In-person and online Citizenship Preparation classes
✨️In-person English and Digital Literacy classes

☎️Call 540-265-9339 to make a registration appointment.
📲Send a WhatsApp message to 540-355-3187 to schedule a registration appointment.

In-person classes are at the Main building of Roanoke Public Libraries.
Online classes are on Zoom

🎉 We’re excited to share that Blue Ridge Literacy has received a grant from ! 💙 These funds will help support our Engli...
08/24/2026

🎉 We’re excited to share that Blue Ridge Literacy has received a grant from ! 💙 These funds will help support our English, health, and digital literacy programs, empowering adult learners to reach their life goals.
A HUGE Thank you to Roanoke - Challenger Ave, and store manager Annette Verplancken, for helping adults reach their life goals through literacy!

🎓✨ Celebrating our learners and over 40 years of Blue Ridge Literacy!Yesterday, August 18, 2026, was testing and graduat...
08/19/2026

🎓✨ Celebrating our learners and over 40 years of Blue Ridge Literacy!

Yesterday, August 18, 2026, was testing and graduation day, marking the last day of Blue Ridge Literacy's summer semester of classes.

Our in-person programs’ graduation ceremony was made even more special as we were honored to welcome Delegate Sam Rasoul and his team, who presented Blue Ridge Literacy with a Commending Resolution from the Virginia General Assembly, signed by members of both the House of Delegates and the Senate, recognizing our 40th anniversary💙

Forty years is an important milestone, and we are grateful to all of the learners, volunteers, staff, partners, and supporters who have been part of the Blue Ridge Literacy community over the years.

Most of all, we are grateful to our learners, who continue to remind us why this work matters.

As we continue into our 41st year, we are grateful for where we have been, proud of the community we have built together, and looking forward to the years ahead.

Address

706 S Jefferson Street
Roanoke, VA
24016

Opening Hours

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

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