This year Lapham Elementary School has a full-time volunteer coordinator. The United Way, in conjunction with the Madison Metropolitan School District, received a grant from VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) which allowed for the training and placement of volunteer coordinators in the 15 Madison schools with the highest levels of students in poverty. The primary focus of these VISTA volunteers is to recruit, train and support volunteers who will work one-on-one with students in grades K-3 on reading skills. In the second semester, these VISTA volunteers will shift their focus to expanding family and community involvement in childhood literacy efforts.

What does this mean for you? It means that you have the opportunity to get involved, to make a difference in the life of a child by becoming a reading tutor. You can give your time and energy to a cause that is one of the most important factors in the success and happiness of a person, and ultimately of our community as a whole.

DonÕt sell yourself short Ð every one of us has something to give, and in the giving we get back one hundred fold what we gave. Times for tutoring will be available both during the school day and afterwards at the WilMar Center, and free training will be provided. If the idea of sitting with a child and sharing with him or her your favorite book from your childhood sounds appealing, please call 267-1608 for more information.

-Melanie Allen

Volunteer Coordinator, Lapham Elementary


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