Raise your hand for Education
April 23rd, 2012
Raise Your Hand Chattanooga to Help Children Succeed in School & Life
Volunteer to tutor, mentor and read to lead kids down the right path
United Way’s Volunteer Center is asking you to raise your hand to support education. Raise Your Hand CHATTANOOGA is a local collaborative effort to recruit volunteers to mentor and read to Chattanooga’s children to help them succeed in school and life. United Way’s Volunteer Center is partnering with a number of local nonprofits, businesses, media and other organizations to recruit volunteers and connect them to opportunities to serve.
IT’S ALL ABOUT EDUCATION
The cornerstone of individual and community success is education. Research shows that caring adults working with kids of all ages — from the early years through high school — can help boost academic achievement. Anyone with passion and commitment can help a young person achieve greater academic success. Chattanoogans value education and the opportunities that a good education provides. In contrast, when students drop out of school, unprepared for college and the workforce, we can all recognize the danger for families, communities, and our state as a whole.
Research proves what people have anecdotally observed over the years: tutoring, mentoring, and reading with children makes a difference.
WANT TO VOLUNTEER?
Here’s WHAT YOU CAN DO (even with just an hour or so a week):
- VOLUNTEER to read stories to individual students or to groups. Engaging children in storytelling opens their minds and unlocks their imagination.
- MENTOR students beyond the classroom, providing advice and friendship. Adult mentors provide children with emotional support that enhances self-esteem, fosters self-control, and provides guidance.
- BE AN ASSET BUILDER and help young people become caring, responsible, successful adults.
If your school, government agency or nonprofit organization has a need for volunteer readers, tutors or mentors, you can join the Raise Your Hand Coalition! We’ll drive volunteers your way through United Way’s 2-1-1, our website, and other venues.
Companies can also raise their hand by launching a volunteer program for their employees.
For more information on how to volunteer, how to become a Raise Your Hand CHATTANOOGA partnering organization, or how to launch a program at your organization, visit iHelpChattanooga.org, contact United Way’s Volunteer Center at (423) 752-0316 or email volunteer@uwchatt.org.
About United Way’s Volunteer Center
United Way’s Volunteer Center serves all nonprofit organizations, government agencies and religious entities within a 16-county area around Chattanooga, including Catoosa, Dade and Walker Counties in Georgia and Bledsoe, Bradley, Franklin, Grundy, Hamilton, Marion, McMinn, Meigs, Polk, Rhea, and Sequatchie Counties in Tennessee. United Way’s Volunteer Center has been a premier proponent for community-wide, hands on engagement since the 1980’s. And since this time, it has always made the effort to search out and reward the unsung volunteer heroes of our community.
Posted by Kelley Nave
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