Dear Volunteers,

 

Whew!  What a month April was!  Now that the 2014 Spelling Bee is behind us, we are back to our normal routine.  Thank you for all of your help and, more importantly, your patience as we spun so many plates last month.  The event was a great success from all angles and we are thrilled with the results!  Now, it's back to our normal routine.  

 

In this issue of the newsletter, you'll find some new information on programming, as well as how to report your volunteer hours so please make sure you check it all out!  Also, please take a moment to look at the Volunteer Needs list - there are several upcoming community events for which we need volunteer assistance.  If you're able to help with any of the events listed there, please let us know ASAP!  It's very important we are represented at these types of events so that we can increase our presence in the Kansas City area and spread the word about what we do in an effort to grow our student and tutor populations.

 

We had the help of many of our volunteers and tutors at the Spelling Bee this year, but for those of you who were not able to attend, I thought you might like to see the video that we played for our guests to help them understand the importance of what we do.  Check out the video on our YouTube channel, HERE.  But don't forget to come back to read the rest of the newsletter!

 

Remember that my door is always open.  Feel free to email me with issues or questions at any time!  You may also reach out to Kim - via phone at 816-333-9332 x. 108 or via email at [email protected].

 

Best,

Haley Box

Director of Information Systems

THANK YOU, SPELLING BEE VOLUNTEERS!

Judith Appollis, Rebecca Ashcraft, Sule Barry, Helen Betts, Evan Black, Barbara Bodinson, David Bruce, Nadia Bruce, Tina Carter, Evelyn Case, Jessica Droste, Jeanna Ehlers, Dorothy Elliott, Teresa Flournoy, Spencer Gardner, Kathy Gellings, Andy Geoghegan, Falak Ghatala, Catherine Goodson, Carol Hale, Joan Harding, Paula Harr, Nicole Hatch, Kerri Hilbert, Carol Jantsch, Jenna Jantsch, Stacy Jennings, Nelson Jerabek, Darby Keele, Jules Kellogg, Cindy Lais, Shirley Love, Linda Lowenstein, Emily Lowndes, Mary Ann Matheis, Joe McClernon, Dana Moriarty, Christian Overgaard, Charlotte Phiffer, Janice Pound, Ross Quintero, Marcus Rivas, Amelia & Paul Rosenboom, Susan Sanders, Michelle Shaw, Allen Simon, Amanda Smith, Jwana Smith, Ryan Steffen, Jennifer Storz, Michael Strutz, Glennis Sumner, Shanna Van Buskirk, Larry & Clara Van Draska, Charlie Vitale, Nancy Waldner, Laura Weaver, Erin Weir, Sharon Williams, Patty Yeradi.

With the start of our new program, The Family Literacy Project, we are in need of used laptops.  Upon successful completion of a digital literacy course through Connecting For Good, our students in the Family Literacy Project will be given a $50 voucher for a refurbished laptop.  You could help them get connected in the digital age in which we live!  Don't worry about your data privacy, as Connecting For Good will wipe all data using Active Killdisk.  This is in adherence with the U.S. Department of Defense Standards (DOD 5220.22M).  For more information or to donate your laptop, contact Logan Hartpence at 816-333-9332 x.112.

• one session of his/her choosing from a variety of topics held throughout the year
• one session of Sensitivity Training  

New tutors (and existing tutors who have not previously participated in our Sensitivity Workshop) should plan to participate in Sensitivity Training as soon possible after beginning tutor work with a Literacy Kansas City student.  Our students come from a variety of social, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds; Sensitivity Training, led by Senior GEARS Instructor Phil Denver, helps us to establish positive relationships and interactions with those whose backgrounds and life circumstances may vary from our own. 

 

We thank you for your time and dedication to our mission and to your students' success and hope that the workshops offered will be helpful to you in your tutoring work.

(816) 333-9332 x. 103

Please remember that all tutors are required to submit a monthly progress report, regardless of the program in which you tutor.  You can pick up hard copies of the progress report form in the office or download either a Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF version on our website.  Progress reports are due by the 5th of each month for the previous month's hours.  

• We have 350+ active tutoring pairs at any given time and though we try our best to keep up with each pair, receiving the progress report with information on what was accomplished within the month helps us monitor pairs a little more systematically.
• Literacy Kansas City relies heavily on grant funding to operate.  One key component to receiving grants is the reporting that goes along with them.  Funders want to know that we are using their money for the purposes we said we would, and that our efforts are showing results.  Your progress reports are a key element in demonstrating to funders exactly what it is  we do to help students learn to read.

• Complete it electronically in Microsoft Word, save it to your computer, and email it to [email protected]
• Print a copy of a blank progress report and complete it by hand, then:
• email it to [email protected] -OR-
• fax it to 816-444-6628 -OR-
• mail it via USPS to 211 W. Armour Blvd., 3rd Floor, KC, MO 64111 -OR-
• drop it by the office in person (we'd love to see you!)

• Effective immediately, progress reports are due by the 5th of each month for the previous month's hours.  

Would your student be interested in improving their math skills? The next fourteen-week session begins May 5, 2014. The current schedule for math classes is as follows:

LensCrafters has a program called OneSight in order to help those in need get a free eye exam and glasses.  If your believe your student would benefit from this, please direct them to a Literacy Kansas City staff member and we will help get them set up for an appointment.  Every LensCrafters in the nation is able to serve up to two clients per week on a first come, first serve basis; therefore, it is not a guarantee the student will be able to get the exam and glasses right away, but it's a great resource for them to check out!

We have begun math classes again! Any of our students in the General Program that has shown regular attendance are eligible to participate.  If your student has shown an interest in Math please have them contact Laura Cardwell for more information.  Her email address is [email protected] or call her at 816-333-9332 x105

Please be aware that this is where staff holds meets frequently and also need to be in and out of this room to get to the kitchen.  You are more than welcome to use this room, but please confirm with a staff member that there are no scheduled meetings during that time. Pairs working in the classroom should expect some interruption as staff and other volunteers need access to the space.

There are many times when our tutors travel for vacation or need to take a break for personal/health reasons, but do not want to end the relationship with their student when they return.  We are looking for a few tutors who would be willing to be on a list of substitute tutors in these instances.  You would only be tutoring a student for a short time period to keep the student on track while their original tutor has to be away.  If you would be interested in being in this pool of tutors to be on a sub list for tutors who have to take a temporary leave of absence please let Haley or Kim know.

We were able to obtain more of the "A Student Dictionary" to give out to students.  If you feel this would be a great resource for your student, you are welcome to come by the office to get one!

Reporting Volunteer Hours

We count all the volunteer hours that are submitted to us.  Most hours are logged in one of the following ways:

• Workshop Sign-In Sheet
• In-Office Sign-In Sheet
• Progress Report

If you are participating in other events, such as community outreach or other special events where there is no sign-in sheet, it's possible we don't have those hours on file.  To make sure that we get those hours accounted for, all you need to do is send us an email with the following information:

• Activity you completed (i.e. Community Fair, First Fridays table, Rainy Day Books event, etc)
• Date you completed the activity
• Number of hours you spent on the activity

THANK YOU for all of your hard work and dedication to supporting Literacy Kansas City and its mission.  We truly could not do it without such a strong and committed volunteer base!

Send your hours via email to the same place you send your progress reports and we'll get them added to our system: [email protected].