Helping A Child Learn To Read
By: Source: AARP.org Date Posted: 2007-07-31 14:02:41.859572-04:00
The letter from AARP about volunteering for Generations Incorporated/Experience Corps was addressed to her husband, but retired Mattapan resident Dorothy Upshaw knew that it was meant for her. She wanted to help children get excited about reading—and found the program to be a perfect fit.
During the 2006-2007 school year, Upshaw spent two days a week at the Lee Elementary School, serving as a reading coach and lunchtime mentor to three schoolchildren.
"I don't like to miss it," said Upshaw. "I really do hate to be away from them."
Generations Incorporated / Experience Corps
Generations Incorporated is the Boston host of Experience Corps, a nonprofit organization that places highly trained retiree volunteers as mentors and tutors in public elementary schools and after school programs.
This year, over 300 volunteers over the age of 50 coached 3,700 students at public elementary schools and after-school programs in Dorchester, Roxbury and Boston's South End, helping to improve students' literacy skills by an average of 2.5 reading levels.
Helping a Child Grow
Virginia Bridgeman is another AARP member who found Generations Incorporated after her retirement.
"When I retired, I thought I had it all together. But I was still looking for something that was purposeful," she explained. At the first informational meeting about the mentoring program, Bridgeman couldn't contain her excitement. "I didn't want to leave!"
Bridgeman started as a volunteer mentor, and has since joined the staff of Generations Incorporated as a site coordinator at the Blue Hill Avenue Boys and Girls Club in Dorchester.
"It has brought life to my life," she says of the experience.
Learn More
For information about volunteering with Generations Incorporated/Experience Corps during the 2007-2008 school year, send us an email or call 1-866-448-3621.
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