Since 1986, VEP has helped thousands of Chester County’s most vulnerable newcomers learn English and achieve U.S. citizenship. In its first years, the program saw modest beginnings and served fewer than a dozen students in the basement of the church. Today, VEP depends on approximately 300 passionate and dedicated volunteers who deliver free one-to-one English language instruction to meet the urgent and specific needs of adult immigrants and refugees in Chester County. In all of our work and interactions, we seek to be welcoming, compassionate, understanding, and inspired. These guiding principles shape our work.