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.
Learn about our impact – read our 2019-20 Impact Report.
As we continue to serve hundreds of adults in our community, your support is needed more than ever. Consider making a financial donation by visiting our Support page.
Our classes aren’t possible without the amazing dedication of our volunteers. To learn more about how to become a volunteer ESL teacher, office staff, translator or event volunteer, visit our Volunteer page.
History
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.
To learn more about our ESL programs, visit our Students page.
Board of Directors
| Cheryl Ann Wong | Rane Burress | Bruce Henderson |
| Ron Poff | Daniel Burdette | Jiroko Lopez |
| Victor Garza | Sherry Daswani | Carolyn Potter |
| Robert Grinsfelder | Ginger Greenberg | Janet Vance |
| Bonnie Perry | George Betz | |
| Pamela Tomasello | Lauren DeCillis |
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 brings experience in firm management, non-profit fundraising, and is Board Certified in Immigration and Nationality Law. She has been an adult language learner herself, and speaks Spanish, Gujarati and English. Most importantly, she is eager 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.
Sara Bramlett – Volunteer Coordinator
Sara Bramlett coordinates RALC’s volunteers, from recruitment to training to placement to ongoing support. As a longtime community volunteer herself, Sara understands the impact volunteers can have in an organization and works to ensure RALC volunteers enjoy their work and feel supported in their efforts. Sara lives in Plano with her husband and three children.
Contact Sara at volunteer@ralc.org.
Franny Banks – Student Coordinator
Franny Banks coordinates RALC’s student outreach efforts, from letting students know about upcoming registrations, supplemental classes and other events to assisting them when they have challenges with classes. Originally from Columbia, Franny understands what it’s like to be an English language learner and works to ensure RALC’s students feel supported in their learning. Franny lives in Plano with her husband.
Contact Franny at students@ralc.org.
Whusheane Perry – Career Bridge Success Coach
Whusheane is a proud father, pet owner, and Dallas native. He love sharks, tornados and traveling. He is a graduate of Prairie View A&M University (B.S.), Southern Illinois University-Carbondale (M.S.Ed), and UNT Dallas (M.Ed), and has over 10 years’ experience working in both secondary and post-secondary education at Arizona State, UNT Denton, and Cedar Valley. He brings experience in coordinating and facilitating College And Career Weeks.
Contact Wusheane at cbprogram@ralc.org