Living United

Adults need tutors for reading skills

2012-01-27T09:53:00-05:00

January is National Mentoring Month.

All month long we are featuring guest posts from many of our local nonprofits that work with youth and need volunteers to become mentors and tutors. On January 26, 2012, the United Way Volunteer Center invites you to our annual Mentor and Tutor Opportunity Fair from 11:00 - 2:00 at the Omni Hotel. There you will be able to meet in person with representatives from 17 local organizations and fit the right fit for you as a mentor or tutor.

Mentor. Tutor. Pass it on!

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Long ago in a land far, far away (Baton Rouge), I had too much time on my hands. That’s hard to imagine now, but way back in the 1990s life moved slower and I picked up volunteer work as an adult education tutor. My student, a gentleman from Mississippi who worked stocking shelves at the local Piggly Wiggly grocery, was in line to be promoted to Assistant Manager at his store. But he had a HUGE secret. He had never learned read beyond a third-grade level.

He saw the sort of work Assistant Managers performed. With their pencils, paper, and clipboards they checked off inventory as the trucks were unloaded. They filled out order forms to request supplies and fresh merchandise. After ten years of stocking the shelves, my student could tell the difference between “Fresh cut green beans” and “French cut green beans” by looking at the pictures. Unfortunately, the order forms the Assistant Managers had to use contained no pictures.

After I was appropriately trained as a Literacy Volunteer tutor, we began our tutoring sessions. We started with short words.

C-A-N spells “can.”

“What produce item begins with the can sound?”

“Cantaloupe!” He got it. I could almost see the light bulb flash on in his head.

Realistically, he probably never graduated to reading War and Peace. Tolstoy isn’t for everybody. But by the time I left Baton Rouge, he could decipher just about any word related to groceries well enough to earn his promotion.

Fast-forward twenty years later, and I am now the Executive Director of Literacy Volunteers of Charlottesville/ Albemarle. Every day I see people come in and work hard on their reading skills. I hear tutors go over material with their learners and I can tell they care about helping someone improve their life situation. Many tutors think they get more out of the experience than their students do!

Our next tutor training is January 21 and 23*. See our website (www.literacyforall.org) or call our office (977-3838) for more information

Guest post by: Ellen Osborne, Executive Director, Literacy Volunteers

"They keep me on my toes."

2012-01-26T08:30:00-05:00

January is National Mentoring Month.

Mentor. Tutor. Pass it on!

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Working with the Dreamers in the “I Have a Dream” Foundation is the highlight of my week! The Dreamers are enthusiastic and cheerful, and they always keep me on my toes. Helping them be successful is a task any individual who loves working with teenagers would love.

My time so far with them has been uplifting. I enjoy helping them complete their homework in addition to their college applications. As I’ve worked with them, I’ve gotten to know them and developed meaningful relationship with them.

Through this process, I’ve actually learned quite a bit myself. I have learned how to slow down and focus in on the little things. As high school students, they pay attention to the details and notice things that I do not always see. In addition, helping them with their work allows me to learn things I never learned in either High School or college!

Being with this group of young adults is an experience that I will never forget. Years from now I will look back on this experience, grateful for all the things I have learned from them and the experience of making a difference in their lives!

Guest Post by: Stephanie McKnight, Intern, “I Have a Dream” Foundation

Mentoring is an awesome feeling

2012-01-25T09:45:00-05:00

January is National Mentoring Month.

Mentor. Tutor. Pass it on!

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For the last year, Hope 4 Kids has been the best part of my Fridays. As the children begin to filter out each week around 5:30, I sincerely cannot wait until the next Friday when I will be able to see them again. Being a positive influence to someone who looks up to you literally and figuratively is an important responsibility and an awesome feeling. The kids at the Hope Center are great; they are well behaved and full of energy. This can be attributed to the program’s leadership. When I began volunteering, Sharon Mason was the director of Hope 4 Kids, and I really admired the way she ran the program. She had a no-nonsense, tough-love demeanor paired with a genuine desire to help the young children grow to be successful students and peers. She stressed academic as well as social growth, recognizing the necessity of manners for a well-rounded education. The program’s current director, Lori- Ann Strait, has the same leadership style and truly demonstrates Hope’s desire to help not only the children, but their families and the surrounding community as well.

The Hope Center provides tutoring, exercise, and very valuable life lessons to children whose parents are often too busy at work to watch over them in the afternoons. The education techniques are very effective, as good behavior is incentivized and poor behavior is not tolerated. The children earn points for using their manners and helping out, and they may exchange those points for prizes at the end of each week. Through this program the children are also able to learn about the importance of saving, as there are items of various prices available, some of which are worth several weeks of points. The Hope Center also gives back to the surrounding community. For example, Lori-Ann recently provided all the ingredients for Thanksgiving dinner for the children’s families and alongside that gave them scarecrows as decorations. Also, at least twice a year, the Hope Center hosts a clothing drive, where they take donations in and then sell them to lower-income community members at significantly reduced prices.

There is a significant need for male volunteers for the Hope 4 Kids, as a positive male influence is very necessary for many of the kids who participate in the program. I highly encourage anyone who is interested to volunteer; it is a cause that is very worthwhile and enjoyable. I volunteer because I want the children involved in the program to succeed. The Hope Center has been a way for me to give back to the community through which I believe I’m making a lasting impact. And, as I’ve mentioned before, it’s a ton of fun!

Guest post by: Andrew Thrash

The power of positive reinforcement

2012-01-24T14:14:00-05:00

January is National Mentoring Month.

Mentor. Tutor. Pass it on!

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Twenty-five Bigs and Littles enjoyed rock star treatment at Coach’s Corner this October. The event was hosted at Wild Wing Café and everyone enjoyed food, fun, freebies, and some rare one-on-one time with local celebrities Mike London, UVa Football Head Coach, and Dave Koehn, the Voice of the Cavaliers.

Everyone received a UVa Football t-shirt and poster, and one lucky Little won tickets to an upcoming game. But according to one excited Little, the highlight of the evening was “going onstage to ask Coach London a question.”

In fact, two Littles were invited to personally ask the Coach a question. The room erupted into laughter when the first Little politely asked Coach London if he had traveled to the restaurant by limo, to which he humbly replied that he had simply taken the bus and walked the rest of the way.

Deciding to explore a different angle, the second Little asked Coach London what led him to become a coach. After a moment of thought, Coach London explained that his Dad had coached him in Little League and it was that encouraging team experience that first showed him “the benefit of what positive reinforcement can do.”

Coach London’s insight highlighted the importance of a fundamental Big Brothers Big Sisters tool: positive reinforcement. It is encouraging to know that such a prominent community figure believes in the power of positive reinforcement as we do here at Big Brothers Big Sisters.

Guest post by: Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Central Blue Ridge

These kids inspire me

2012-01-24T09:27:00-05:00

January is National Mentoring Month.

All month long we are featuring guest posts from many of our local nonprofits that work with youth and need volunteers to become mentors and tutors. On January 26, 2012, the United Way Volunteer Center invites you to our annual Mentor and Tutor Opportunity Fair from 11:00 - 2:00 at the Omni Hotel. There you will be able to meet in person with representatives from 17 local organizations and fit the right fit for you as a mentor or tutor.

Mentor. Tutor. Pass it on!

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Every day a steady stream of students file into the “I Have a Dream” office at Charlottesville High School. They come during lunch, free periods, and afterschool to get homework help, work on college applications, or just relax and interact with the other Dreamers.

This semester my main goal has been to help them apply to college, but I have gained so much more than I thought possible in just four short months ago. The diverse set of personalities and experiences they bring forward every time we meet continue to inspire me.

One Dreamer, Trevail, always makes me laugh as he recites song lyrics and tells stories about his life, usually while working on Trigonometry homework. It’s been amazing seeing him grow as a student and person during my time working with “I Have a Dream.” I can’t wait to continue working with him in the new year!

Guest post by: Joanna Ferguson, Intern, “I Have a Dream” Foundation