Blog

Let’s Celebrate Global Volunteer Month

By Eric Steckel
April 1, 2024

A heartfelt “Thank you” to our amazing tutors!

April is Global Volunteer Month. We are incredibly grateful to all of our amazing volunteers. Your stories demonstrate the power we each have to positively impact the community and truly be a force of good here in Oakland and the East Bay.

We express thanks and encouragement to all of our tutors. Each week throughout the school year, you give the best of yourselves. You are the beating heart of Children Rising!

Will you complete HER Circle of Care?

Through one-on-one reading and math tutoring, and family support, you will nurture an eager child in a circle of care so they may succeed in school.

Yes, I want to uplift a child in school today!

You help complete a child’s “Circle of Care.”

More caring adults in the community have volunteered for reading, math, and homework tutoring this year than ever before. This is terrific news!

“In this season of their young lives, you provide (children) with a fairer chance to succeed in school … and in life.”

By coming alongside a student’s family and teachers, you nurture them in a circle of care. One-on-one tutors teach, encourage, and motivate children in a unique, caring way. In this season of their young lives, you provide them with a fairer chance to succeed in school … and in life. Thank you.

There are hundreds of children still waiting for a tutor.

Unfortunately, many second—and third-grade children in Oakland are still significantly behind grade level. Only 30% of elementary school children of color achieve grade-level reading and math skills by fourth grade. These kids, their parents, and their teachers need all of us in the community now more than ever before.

As a member of the Children Rising community, please encourage your friends, neighbors, and colleagues to join you. By volunteering their time and sharing their love and encouragement, tutors will enable many more children to rise to their God-given potential in the coming years. Together, we will nurture them in a circle of care.

Thank you to our volunteers for providing eager children with the one-on-one tutoring they need to thrive.

Tutor a child!

Yes, I can embrace a child in a circle of care!

 I want to learn more about reading, math, or homework clinics to see if in-school tutoring is right for me!

I want to help fund Children Rising tutoring and mentoring programs to empower more children this year!

Volunteer Tutor Profile: Meet Succeeding by Reading Tutor Ann Rosenberg

By Eric Steckel
July 24, 2023

Longtime tutor finds the magic in one-on-one relationships, and children thrive!

Succeeding by Reading tutor Ann Rosenberg discovered Children Rising in a roundabout way through her friend Jan Zovickian. After working as a school social worker in Oakland schools for 30 years, she has spent the last six years tutoring eager children and enabling them to learn to read.

“If you care about the child, and they care about you, that comes through. I think that is a huge part of success in tutoring …”

“I love kids; I love tutoring. I find that one of the best ways to build self-esteem is when kids feel that they’re able to learn and feel good about themselves; more than almost any therapy in the world, it helps them realize that they can learn. It’s a highlight of my week,” Ann said.

Will you complete HER Circle of Care?

Through one-on-one reading and math tutoring, and family support, you will nurture an eager child in a circle of care so they may succeed in school.

Yes, I want to uplift a child in school today!

Supporting a child through difficult periods

During the disrupted COVID year of 2020, Ann tutored a young girl named Juliana. “Juliana was enthusiastic. She really wanted to learn to read better,” Ann recounted. “She was very hard on herself, so I just tried to reinforce everything positive that I could. I would tell her, ‘It’s okay, you don’t have to be perfect, it’s about progress, not perfection.”

Juliana made great progress despite the year being cut short. “There was a book she loved, a graphic book. When a child is motivated because she’s interested in the material, it’s much better than anything else. So we were reading the book together, and she was doing well. I think she was more forgiving of herself if she made a mistake, she got back on the horse more quickly, and her frustration level decreased.

The importance of a one-on-one connection

To Ann, the one-on-one relationship is fundamental. “If you care about the child, and they care about you, that comes through. I think that is a huge part of success in tutoring, therapy, social work, anything really,” she said. “It’s just a happy feeling. It’s very rare that kids get this one-on-one relationship with anybody at that age. The caring and the warmth that grows between people—I’ve had it with little boys, little girls, it doesn’t matter. It’s the weekly contact. Knowing someone cares about you and is going to be there for you, come rain or shine, is special.”

“This program is fantastic. It’s so well organized … It’s a real gift to be able to work with the program. What can I say? It’s beautiful. It’s a beautiful thing.”

When I asked her if she had anything to share with potential tutors, she replied, “This program is fantastic. It’s so well organized. Rebecca and Pia do such a great job. It’s a real gift to be able to work with the program. What can I say? It’s beautiful. It’s a beautiful thing.”

We are grateful for Ann and all of the dedicated Succeeding by Reading tutors. Because of you, children like Juliana have overcome challenges in school and risen to their God-given potential. That’s a beautiful thing indeed!

Yes, I can empower a child to become a lifelong learner.

 I want to learn more about online reading or math clinics to see if in-school tutoring is right for me!

I want to help fund Children Rising tutoring and mentoring programs to empower more children this year!

 

7 Benefits of Volunteering

By Sophia Wambach
July 21, 2023

Volunteers uplift the community and themselves!

You find time in your busy schedule to tutor children in the community for a reason. Volunteering at a school offers vital support to needy children–just ask the parents of the children we serve! More generally, volunteers uplift the community and support worthwhile causes like educational equity, making a lasting impact.

The benefits extend to you, the volunteer.

Research shows that volunteering offers many benefits, especially for seniors and the recently retired. It is known to improve physical and mental health, provide a sense of purpose, teach valuable skills, and help nurture new and existing relationships. ¹

“Volunteering is known to improve physical and mental health, provide a sense of purpose, teach valuable skills, and help nurture new and existing relationships.” – Angela Thoreson, L.I.C.S.W.

Will you complete HER Circle of Care?

Through one-on-one reading and math tutoring, and family support, you will nurture an eager child in a circle of care so they may succeed in school.

Yes, I want to uplift a child in school today!

Knowing you can make a positive impact in a child’s life and instill confidence in their abilities is gratifying and a great benefit of volunteer tutoring.

7 Benefits of Volunteer Tutoring

There are many personal benefits of volunteering. This list is by no means exhaustive, but we’ve found seven benefits of volunteering we think you will agree with.

1. You get more than you give. While it doesn’t seem like much, you’re helping a child who may not have someone to read with them at home. You experience and feel the joy in your student’s positive responses and growth.
2. Share your knowledge. We are incredibly proud of the diverse range of volunteers who bring a wealth of experience and knowledge to the children they support. They may be tutoring in reading or math, but their wisdom extends beyond letters and numbers, and it feels good to share that with a child.
3. One-on-one attention feels good. Every child loves attention. Reading with a child over time and seeing them progress and become a better reader creates a personal connection that feeds the soul. The attention can bolster the student’s sense of self-worth and self-confidence, and that good feeling extends to you. By experiencing the success and excitement of the child you’re tutoring—even in a virtual world—you feel their energy and their joy spreads.
   

   “Volunteering promotes inclusion for all residents of the community … the door is open to any resident in the Bay Area to affect change and work toward lasting racial equity.”

4. Volunteering promotes inclusion for all residents of the community. By recruiting, training, and supporting caring
   

   Tutoring in a community of family, friends, and new friends fosters feelings of connection and well-being, one of the benefits of volunteering.

   community members to become reading and math tutors, the door is open to any resident in the Bay Area to affect change and work toward lasting racial equity. For seniors and the recently retired, this is especially beneficial as meaningful engagement in the community is known to promote healthy aging. ²

5. Tutoring provides opportunities for personal growth. By becoming a tutor, many people develop an altogether new vocation and an increase in “sense of self.” ³ Research shows that self-growth and well-being most frequently go hand in hand.
6. Observing a measurable difference in a child is gratifying. It allows you to interact with the kids, be there for the “Aha!’ moments, and see firsthand how you are helping them and their families succeed in school … and in life.
7. You can do it in a community with family or friends, which fosters feelings of connection and well-being. If you know someone who could be a fantastic tutor, invite them to join you. We will work with your schedules. We ask for two hours a week, but you can do more! Most importantly, you are giving a little time for the greater good.

Ready to get started? Tutoring resumes in the Fall. Invite a friend and feel the joy of volunteering all over again!

Yes, I can empower a child to become a lifelong learner.

 I want to learn more about online reading or math clinics to see if in-school tutoring is right for me!

I want to help fund Children Rising tutoring and mentoring programs to empower more children this year!

 

_{1. Thoreson, A. (2021) Mayo Clinic Health System, Helping people, changing lives: 3 health benefits of volunteering. https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/3-health-benefits-of-volunteering}

_{2. Greenfield, E A, & Marks, N F. (2007). Continuous participation in voluntary groups as a protective factor for the psychological well-being of adults who develop functional limitations: Evidence from the national survey of families and households. The Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences,62(1), S60–S68. doi:10.1093/geronb/62.1.s60}

_{3. Self-growth, wellbeing and volunteering – Implications for social prescribing: A qualitative study: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667321522000233?via%3Dihub}