- (972) 644-5119
- literacy@ralc.org
About us
welcome to
Our Program
With more than 19,000 adults in our community who don’t speak English well or at all, our work focuses on training volunteer ESL teachers, recruiting adult students and placing students into appropriate classroom instruction. Students attend classes taught by trained volunteer ESL teachers at various locations in the Richardson/RISD area.
About RALC
Thousands of adults in our community don't speak English well or at all. The Richardson Adult Literacy Center provides English as a Second Language instruction to help these adults improve their lives and the lives of their families.
Our history
Years of Journey
RALC was founded in 1990 through a collaboration between several community organizations. Members of these organizations saw that Richardson’s demographics were changing and that there were gaps within adult ESL services. The organization has succeeded for almost 30 years because of its dedicated volunteers and loyal community support.
team members
RALC Staff
Sonali Patnaik – Executive Director
Sonali is an attorney and an active community member who first joined the RALC family as a volunteer teacher. After a 15 year career in Immigration law, she well understands the mutual benefit that language facility brings to newcomers and their communities. As a first generation American raised in Richardson, teaching with RALC felt like the perfect way to pay it forward. Sonali speaks Spanish, Gujarati and English, and is excited to support RALC students and Richardson’s standing as a welcoming and inclusive city. Sonali lives in Richardson with her husband, two boys, and their new rescue puppy.
Contact Sonali at director@ralc.org
Carson Childress – Program Coordinator
Carson coordinates RALC’s English as a Second Language programs, including curriculum development, teacher training, student assessment, and teacher support. Her passion is creating engaging, active learning environments where adults can learn. Carson came to RALC after many years as an English Teacher. She lives in Dallas with her beloved rescue dog, Annie.
Contact Carson at programs@ralc.org.
Andrea Hamblin – Volunteer Coordinator
Andrea Hamblin coordinates RALC’s volunteers, from recruitment to training to
placement to ongoing support. In 2017, she moved to Richardson and joined RALC as a volunteer teacher. As someone who grew up overseas and spent time learning languages, Andrea understands the struggle and is passionate about helping others overcome cultural and language hurdles. She looks forward to ensuring RALC volunteers can do the same while enjoying their work and feeling supported in their efforts. Andrea lives in Richardson with her husband and their rescue dog Flokati.
Contact Andrea at volunteer@ralc.org.
Katelijne Lefevere - Student Success Coach
Kat is a multilingual social worker with a background in workforce placement and medical social work. She started teaching with RALC as a volunteer in 2017 and fell in love with teaching. Kat coordinates student outreach and registration and also facilitates RALC’s Career Bridge Program which provides students with job search training and information about career paths. As a Peace Corps volunteer, Kat lived and worked in rural Ecuador for two years. She understands how difficult it can be to learn a second language and navigate a new culture. Kat is passionate about supporting students as they work to improve their language skills and find meaningful employment. Originally born in Belgium, Kat speaks Dutch, Spanish, some French and English. Kat lives in Richardson with her husband and two sons.
Contact Kat at students@ralc.org.
Board of Directors
- Cheryl Ann Wong
- Lori Smeby
- Robert Grinsfelder
- George Betz
- Rane Burress – President
- Daniel Burdette – Vice President
- Sherry Daswani – Secretary
- Ron Poff – Treasurer
Jared Earles – Finance Chair
- Bruce Henderson
- Carolyn Potter
- Jennifer Davidson
- Ginger Greenberg
Mailing address
P.O. Box 835936
Richardson, TX 75083
Contact Us
Phone : (972) 644-5119
Email : literacy@ralc.org
School Year Hours:
Mon, Tues, Thurs 10 am – 2 pm
Wednesday 10 am – 5 pm
Summer Hours: By Appointment Only
RALC programs are made possible by our generous donors and community partners:
