Pen Pals
The Literacy Corps Pen Pals program is active and has been instituted with the aim of getting school children involved with writing, reading, and learning how to correspond with with a friend. This program is a creative way that Virginia Tech students have been able to engage local youth in the community while encouraging them to develop the skills needed for this type of correspondence. The Pen Pals program pairs members of the Virginia Tech community with elemetary school students throughout Virginia. Letters are written back and forth between the individual partners throughout the year and the program culminates in a picnic day at the Virginia Tech main campus.
To become a Pen Pal, click here.
Pen Pals Timeline
Contract Schedule
| Contracts Submitted: | Will Receive Pen Pal By: |
These dates are tentative and subject to pen pal availability. Please direct any questions to penpals@vt.edu.
Pen Pals Picnic
At the end of the Spring semester, the Literacy Corps invites their Pen Pals schools to campus for a picnic day that includes games. The Pen Pals Picnic is a wonderful opportunity to Pen Pals to meet each and for elementary school students be introduced to the Virginia Tech campus and community.
Before correspondence begins, the Literacy Corps must have on file a copy of the release form that is sent home with each student at the beginning of each term. Alternatively, it may also be downloaded by clicking here. All communication that takes places between Pen Pals is supervised by the Literacy Corps. The letters that are written to children and from children are screened, copied, and kept on file for safety purposes. Copies of correspondence will be made available to parents and guardians upon request. Any questions or concerns should be directed to the Literacy Corps Coordinators after reading the privacy statement.