Volunteers Needed for Mentoring Program

Eight-hundred... that's the number of volunteers needed to help area children succeed in school through a new program that gets underway this fall in Chatham County Public Schools. It's called the In2Books/ePals program- targeting fifty fourth grade classrooms. The program fosters reading, writing, and critical thinking skills by connecting caring adult mentors (called "pen pals") with children in the classroom. Pen pals and students read five books together and exchange online letters discussing substantive issues in the books over the course of the academic year. Pen pals from the Savannah community are an essential part of this initiative and are critical to its success.

How can you help? Volunteer to be a pen pal for a Savannah student.
To make this effort successful In2Books/ePals need to recruit 800 pen pals. As role models, pen pals inspire students' learning, open their eyes to possibilities for achievement, and provide an additional support outlet for them. While the program only takes a few hours a month, a commitment is needed from mentors to write with student for the entire school year.

You can be a pen pal without leaving your home or office! Here's how it works:
1. At the beginning of the school year you'll be matched with a student and you will exchange "getting to know you" letters via the In2Books website.
2. Your student will select his or her first book, and you'll be notified by email what book you should read. You can purchase the book or find it at a local library.
3. Next you'll write an online letter to your student about the book. Pen Pal Place, the In2Books website dedicated to pen pals, will provide you with instruction, tips and examples to get you started.
4. Once the teacher has approved your letter, the student will read it and respond back.
5. The process is then repeated for the next four books.

Registering to be a pen pal is easy! Please be sure to follow these steps carefully to ensure that you are prioritized as a pen pal for a Savannah student.
1. Go to www.sccpss.com and click on the in2books ICON to begin the registration process. Note: for the safety of students you will be required to complete a background check.
2. Be sure to enter Savannah from the dropdown list when asked for your affiliation on the registration page.
3. The next step takes you to the background check page.

L.O.V.E. Mentors

More than two hundred volunteers are also needed to serve as L.O.V.E. (Local Outreach Volunteer Educators) mentors. Each year, hundreds of L.O.V.E. volunteers invest thousands of hours mentoring one-on-one with students; and local faith-based, civic, and business organizations lend their support as sponsors.

L.O.V.E. mentors tutor students in grades K-12 who need one-on-one help to achieve grade-level expectations. Mentors also help students develop life skills and are a dependable, caring adult presence in their lives.

Mentors volunteer:

In schools, during school hours, providing tutoring in reading and/or math to 1,2, or 3 teacher-selected students.
In community centers, after school, providing homework assistance in core subjects to individual students or small groups.

Each mentor receives:

Training and support. No formal teaching experience is required.

The joy that comes from sharing time, talent, and love with kids who WANT and NEED help!

For more information, click here: www.LoveMentors.org