MASON CITY – Volunteers in North Central Iowa are tutoring and mentoring middle school and junior high students this school year, working on literacy skills and serving as positive role models for the young adults in an effort to help the students succeed academically and in life.
The volunteers, part of the Reading Coach program with RSVP of North Central Iowa, tutor and mentor students at least once a week at schools throughout RSVP’s four-county service area.
This school year, RSVP volunteers are working with students at North Iowa Middle School in Buffalo Center, Forest City Middle School, West Hancock Middle School in Kanawha, and Ventura-Garner-Hayfield Junior High School in Ventura.
January is National Mentoring Month, a time to honor and celebrate mentors and the important need they fulfill across the country. In addition to tutoring students in reading, volunteers in North Central Iowa also are one more caring adult in the life of the students they serve.
“RSVP volunteers give students the gift of reading, which is something that will last a lifetime,” NIACC President Steve Schulz said. “Reading is the gateway skill to academic success. I thank volunteers for helping these young men and women master this critical skill.”
RSVP is sponsored in North Central Iowa by North Iowa Area Community College.
“Volunteers may never see the long-term impact they are having with students, but I am certain they are having a major impact on the lives of these young people,” Schulz said. “Mentors really do change lives! I thank all of these volunteers for dedicating their time and energy to assist the students in North Central Iowa succeed in the classroom and in life. Their commitment is truly life changing!”
RSVP of North Central Iowa is part of a national network of programs called Senior Corps that recruits adults 55 and older to use their skills, talents and life experience to help meet community needs through volunteer service. RSVP’s focus is literacy, including programs such as Reading Coaches.
Molly Anderegg, RSVP director, said the need is great for more Reading Coach volunteers.
“Each school RSVP partners with has more students who need extra reading tutoring and mentoring than RSVP is currently providing,” she said. “People tend to think that working with middle school students can be a challenge, but more often than not, it can also be rewarding. I encourage people to consider this challenge and help an adolescent student in their area.”
The Reading Coach program is a certified program with the Iowa Mentoring Partnership. Under the Iowa Commission on Volunteer Service, the Iowa Mentoring Partnership works to improve lives, strengthen communities, and foster civic engagement through service and volunteering by supporting quality mentoring programs.
RSVP of North Central Iowa has 23 Reading Coaches serving during the 2014-2015 school year. Reading Coaches meet with students at least once a week to work on literacy skills, and the volunteers also serve as mentors, often developing strong bonds with the students.
RSVP would like to thank the following Reading Coach volunteers for their dedication to and support of youth in North Central Iowa:
West Hancock Middle School – Kanawha: Kathryn Johnson and Pat Sampson, both of Kanawha
North Iowa Middle School – Buffalo Center: Joe Angstman and John Laflen, both of Buffalo Center
Forest City Middle School – Forest City: Judith Anderson, Barb Braun, Annette Bruns, Joan Hansen, Dennis Knoner, Erika Knoner, Cynthia Korth, Roberta Kraft-Abrahamson, Ronald Kvale, Susan Monselle, Karolyn Overlie, Mary Schaefer and Inghild “Pott” Van Auken, all of Forest City
Ventura-Garner-Hayfield Junior High School – Ventura: Carrol Boehnke, Dolores Boehnke, Patty Hestad, Eunice Kinsella, all of Garner; and Twyla Quinn and Janelle Renner of Ventura.
