Although the lights were out at VU over the summer, the folks behind the scenes were not idle! Members of the board updated registration forms and handbooks for students, parents, and volunteers. We put our book collection back in order after a busy school year and added popular titles that our kids love to read. The much-loved educational games have been inventoried and missing pieces replaced so that they are ready for the year as well.
With supplies replenished and new activity packets assembled for September, we are almost ready to go—all we need are our wonderful students! It was great to have time off regroup and prepare, but we miss our daily interactions with them. We know when they come through our doors on September 15th, they will have added inches, have new haircuts, and want to tell us about the places they went this summer and all the great activities they participated in.
In addition to the student-focused updates over the summer, we also made improvements to our record keeping that will enable us to easily access valuable information about our volunteers, such as what languages they speak and other ways they might want to contribute to the program. Board members will more easily be able to monitor statistics about students’ academic progress so that areas where they need additional work can be identified and addressed as time permits. Our new volunteer coordinator worked hard to recruit much-needed new volunteers, and we look forward to welcoming many new people to VU next week. But the more the merrier! After losing dedicated volunteers to retirement in warmer states, to new jobs and new hours, and to family responsibilities, we are always looking for caring people to join us. Won’t you consider volunteering with VU and supporting children as they learn and grow?