Organization Spotlight: Briggs Center for Faith and Action

December 9, 2019

For this month’s organization spotlight, we spoke with Stacey Fannon. Ms. Fannon is the ESL Program Manager for the center. She holds a Master of Science from Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health (2000).

 

The Briggs Center for Faith and Action funds and manages the ever-growing ESL initiative. The center engages people who share a passion for social justice and serving the disadvantaged. Briggs has several programs and services. The ESL Program is the central focus.


Briggs offers free, literacy-access, drop-in ESL classes to over 200 learners from 45 countries each year. Thanks to a host of dedicated volunteer teachers, Briggs offers English classes on Sunday morning, Tuesday evening and Wednesday & Thursday mornings. Citizenship classes are also offered. The purpose is to facilitate English conversation and socialization. The goal is for learners to become more proficient and confident in English. Literacy acquired will empower learners to achieve their goals and strengthen communities and workforces.

Classes aim to assist LEP-learners living/working in/near Bethesda. Briggs participates in a “Know Your Neighbor” campaign which seeks to welcome and help our neighbors in need. Historically the program has reached childcare providers, retirees, homemakers, international students and some men. The primary population served are women eager to develop English skills to improve their lives in America.

The top five countries where the majority of our learners were born in is China, Colombia, Brazil, Japan, and Italy. A small percentage of the students are also from countries like Poland, Tunisia, Argentina, France and Israel among other countries. The occupation of the learners ranges from childcare providers to teachers to homemakers. Based on our FY19 midyear data, we are currently serving 158 learners from 41 countries. 

All of our teachers are volunteers. Most of our instructors are retired educators, lawyers, and public servants who are passionate about immigration and social justice issues. Some hold full-time jobs (e.g. nurse, psychologist) with the flexibility to volunteer. Others are pursuing TESOL as a second career and wish to gain teaching experience at the Briggs ESL Program. 

Recent success stories:
One of Leslie Layne’s Beginning Literacy students, Giselle, started off the year knowing very little English. One of her goals was to get a job. Giselle recently informed Leslie that she got a job at a local restaurant. Giselle brought the menu into the ESL class to practice with her teacher and role-played ordering food. Leslie was so happy and felt proud of her student’s accomplishment. Giselle is grateful for Leslie’s help building her confidence and English skills needed to get the job.

The Briggs Center ESL Program offers citizenship and civics classes. Learners improve their English while gaining knowledge about U.S. history, civics and culture. The classes help prepare learners for the U.S. citizenship test and interview. Stacy Parkinson, MCAEL board member and Briggs volunteer, was elated when two of her students became U.S. citizens.

Challenges: 
Since we offer drop-in classes, attendance varies widely. Instructors don’t know exactly how many students will show up on any given day. However, some students do notify their teacher if they know they’ll be absent. Sharing cell phone numbers, email addresses, and forming WhatsApp groups improves communication and helps instructors plan accordingly.

Our teachers have discovered that reading short stories is more appropriate for drop-in classes. Our advanced class is currently reading Great American Short Stories (Dover Thrift Editions). Reading full-length books in class can be a challenge, especially for students entering midway through the book. As a solution, before the new student begins class, he/she reads the part of the book they missed at home in their native language. Then, the student reads the rest of the book in English with the class. 

An exciting new project:
As an outgrowth of the ESL Program, the Briggs Center is in the process of creating an Immigration Services Clinic under the leadership of Ferew Haile. Last year, the Briggs Center became affiliated with the Catholic Legal Immigration Network. The Briggs Center is awaiting approval from the Department of Justice to provide legal immigration services. 

Tips for recruiting and retaining volunteers: 
Volunteers are our greatest natural resource! The Briggs Center ESL Program recruits via word-of-mouth, email lists (neighborhoods, schools, churches), and websites (Briggs Center, MCAEL, Montgomery County Volunteer Center). I try to recruit teachers that live nearby. This makes it more convenient for them, so they don’t have to deal with a long commute or traffic.  I retain volunteers in many ways. If a teacher is unable to make a class, I help the teacher find a substitute (or teach the class myself – which is very fun and rewarding!). If a teacher has a good idea or resource, he/she shares it with me, then I share it with the others. I share what I learn from MCAEL provider meetings and internet research. Before or after class, or during a coffee break, I check in with the teachers to see if they need anything from me or if they can take any more students. When the teachers come to me with a problem, we brainstorm solutions together. I also give them homemade baked goods and cards around the holidays and at the end of the year to show them my appreciation.  

What motivates our teachers to volunteers:
Most of our volunteers are retired. They are looking to doing something meaningful with their time. I think volunteering with immigrants is their way of making the United States a welcoming place. I think they are motivated to teach because it makes them feel good and it makes the students feel good. The students teach the teachers just as much as the teachers teach the students! It’s a win-win situation!

For more information about the Briggs Center for Faith and Action, please visit their website

Interview by Halima Ahmed

End-of-Year Celebration Recap

By Kairy Castro Barrios • June 18, 2025
Last Friday, June 13th, 2025, MCAEL hosted its End-of-Year Celebration & Sharing Session, attended by adult English Instructors and program staff representing 24 programs from the MCAEL network. This End-of-Year Celebration was designed to bring ESOL professionals together to celebrate their dedication and commitment to helping a community of non-native English speakers learn English as a second language, thereby supporting them in their daily lives. Their passion for teaching English as a second language contributed to everyone's eagerness to share the ways their lessons work, teaching methods that engage learners, and identifying the specific instruction skills they'd like to develop. One English instructor mentioned that, towards the end of class, she plays "Hangman" with the learners to help with spelling words; so far, no one has been hanged! ๏ปฟ All English instructors and program staff share a common goal: to make a difference in their communities and make a direct impact on those around them. During this celebration, they were asked, “what inspired you to work in the ESOL field?" Instructors mentioned that enabling a community to learn English empowers them to grow and better integrate themselves within society. Brenda Voit, an ESOL instructor at the nonprofit Identity, mentioned that she is an English instructor who fulfills community needs and is passionate about the work she does. Christine Patton; an ESOL teacher at JSSA, spoke about her family’s personal experience emigrating from Germany to the United States and the shared frustrations of not knowing English, as well as navigating that experience in their daily lives. Christine views Montgomery County’s ability to provide free and accessible English classes as a reassuring sign of support. This invaluable resource can make a difference in the lives of many, creating a vibrant, growing coalition of Adult English learners. Kairy Castro Barrios MCAEL Intern

Not “Just” English Classes

By Gerard Etienne • June 17, 2025
This past Saturday, I was invited to speak at the Jewish Social Service Agency (JSSA)’s Learning English Together graduation ceremony – and what a wonderful event it was! The first thing that surprised me was the number of people in attendance: there were over 320 attendees, of which 146 were proud graduates. Even more impressive is the fact that there were another 150 graduates who did not attend the ceremony! But what stood out even more was how important this ceremony clearly was to so many of the learners. As a guest speaker, I joined the entrance procession and lined up with the graduates. The pride and excitement were palpable, not just among the learners, but among the instructors as well. Almost everyone was dressed up for the occasion. This was the first clue that these weren’t “just” English classes to the graduates—this was a meaningful milestone, a real achievement. As the ceremony progressed and certificates were awarded, several learners gave speeches. I found myself nearly in tears as I listened to them describe what learning English had meant in their lives. It would be easy to reduce ESOL classes to simply language instruction for immigrants—but these classes are so much more than that. ๏ปฟ They are a gateway to connection, self-expression, better jobs, and more education. They foster belonging, friendships, relationships, and a kind of freedom that only language can provide. For many learners, these classes are truly life-changing, as many of the student speakers described. And the fact that these classes were so meaningful to them is a testament to the care and quality of instruction that JSSA and its instructors have provided. As each speaker shared their story, I thought back to my own English-learning journey. I could relate strongly to their experiences: the feeling of isolation, the frustration of not being able to say the simplest things, the fear of picking up the phone, the avoidance and anxiety around engaging with others. And the feeling of sometimes being reduced to “someone who doesn’t speak English” – as if that’s all there was to me. Learning English is a way out of those limitations. It gives learners the chance to grow, to build relationships, and to show who they really are. Congratulations to the graduates!

MCAEL Announces $1,465,853 in Grants to Support Adult ESOL Learning in Montgomery County

By Emma Starr • June 16, 2025
The Montgomery Coalition for Adult English Literacy (MCAEL), announces $1,465,853 in grants awarded to support adult English language learning programs across Montgomery County. Funding for the grants is provided in partnership with the Montgomery County Government, with the support of County Executive Marc Elrich and the Montgomery County Council. Adult English language learners experience life-changing benefits as participants in these programs, from being able to navigate the health system and their children’s schools, to attaining better-paying jobs. The goal of the MCAEL grants program is to increase the availability of adult ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) services that support identified community needs and diverse populations, while also improving the quality of those services. Blanca, who was a teacher in Guatemala and is now a housekeeper, is currently enrolled in her third consecutive English language class. She says learning English has “made communication with doctors, teachers – everyone – easier. I have more confidence and am able to speak clearly with others.” Blanca hopes to eventually get a better-paying job so that “I can continue to raise my family in the U.S. while also supporting those still living in Guatemala. But my most important goal is to see my three children graduate from college.” This year, grants have been awarded to 24 organizations that provide 29 programs across Montgomery County, including eight brand new programs, both small and large in scale. In addition, MCAEL is actively pursuing the expansion of services to communities where adult ESOL learning opportunities are scarce and there are increased barriers to participation. MCAEL thanks the panel of community members who donated extensive time and energy to review and evaluate the grant applications. MCAEL also thanks the Montgomery County Government for increasing funding for program grants this year, as well as for their ongoing support of English language learning opportunities in Montgomery County. Read the complete Grants Announcement.