Heart Math Tutoring Celebrates Successful Volunteer Drive, But Volunteers Still Needed
September 19, 2016
Heart Math Tutoring (Heart) – a nonprofit group dedicated to helping students in high-poverty elementary schools develop math skills and academic confidence – has wrapped up the first phase of its volunteer drive to help hundreds of students at 12 Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools during the 2016/17 school year.
Currently, Heart has tutors for 550 elementary school students and still needs more sign ups to cover an additional 80 students. Tutors are needed at Piney Grove Elementary, Greenway Park Elementary and Highland Renaissance Academy, among others.
“Our volunteers and community partners have been tremendous in their willingness to spread the word and ask others to become tutors this year,” said Emily Elliott, executive director of Heart Math Tutoring. “There’s still time to sign up to volunteer, but the sooner the better, since students are behind and need tutoring right away.”
The following companies or volunteer representatives supported Heart’s 2016/17 volunteer drive by hosting presentations by Heart staff and encouraging others to become volunteers:
- Barings
- Bank of America
- CHARLOTTE/ONE
- Charlotte Bridge Association
- Madison Park Neighborhood Association
- McGuireWoods
- Pamlico Capital
- Patterson Pope
- Social Venture Partners
- SouthPark Rotary
- TIAA
- Teach For America
- UNC Charlotte Elementary Education Program
- Wake Forest Charlotte Community
- Wells Fargo
This was the third year that Pamlico Capital and Wake Forest Charlotte Community Alumni Club each hosted a luncheon for any guests willing to learn more about Heart’s work. Current tutors attended, as well, to share firsthand accounts of the tutoring experience.
Eric Eubank of Pamlico Capital says, “We look forward to the Heart recruitment lunch each year. Every volunteer we can recruit has a huge impact on a young student, particularly in math – an area with significant implications for a student’s ability to thrive in school and in the workforce.
“Heart is a great fit with Wake Forest’s Pro Humanitate motto,” says Crystal, president of the Wake Forest Charlotte Community. “We know we are sending our volunteers into an experience that is well-structured and effective. We were proud to have fifty Wake Forest Community members tutoring with Heart last year and encourage others to join this year.”
Heart Math Tutoring is a math intervention program that recruits, trains, and supports volunteers to work as tutors in high-poverty elementary schools in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. Hundreds of community members spend one hour each week delivering Heart’s research-based, structured curriculum. About 44 percent of economically disadvantaged children in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools perform below grade level in math, based on 2015/16 North Carolina End-of-Grade Tests.
Heart volunteers commit to weekly tutoring sessions that last either 30 minutes or one hour and can team up with friends, family and colleagues to be “partner tutors.” Math does not have to be a strong subject for volunteers who all follow a structured elementary-level curriculum that features hands-on activities and math games. A Heart staff person is on site at all times to make sure tutors have what they need.
For more information about becoming a Heart tutor, call 704-931-3209 or email volunteer@hearttutoring.org. To sign up online, visit http://heartmathtutoring.org/volunteers/become-a-volunteer/.
Heart Math Tutoring
Heart Math Tutoring is a Charlotte-based nonprofit with a mission to ensure that all elementary students develop the strong foundation in math and enthusiasm for academics needed for long-term success, by helping schools use volunteers as tutors. Community members commit one hour per week to deliver an effective, hands-on curriculum through one-on-one tutoring sessions during the school day in Title I elementary schools. For more information, visit http://heartmathtutoring.org.
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CONTACT:
Jenni Walker – Walker PR Group – 980-339-8041-office/704-649-6571-cell
Emily Elliott – Heart Math Tutoring – 980-292-2297