Good Friends Reading Program Needs Volunteers

INDIANAPOLIS – Wanted: good friends to read with grade school children who need a little extra help.

Good Friends, based within the Office of Community Relations at IUPUI, is a cooperative tutoring project that pairs adult volunteers with K-6 students in Indianapolis area schools. Using community volunteers, Good Friends provides students with individual attention and tutoring in an effort to enhance academic achievement and enrichment of the personal growth of both students and volunteers.

Good Friends volunteers serve during the regular school day, one hour or more each week on a regular basis, on school property, said Julie Atkinson. “This time commitment is crucial to the success of the program. The students need to know you will be there for them once a week.”

The volunteer selects which grade and school he or she would like to assist and are then paired with students selected by the teacher. All tutors are under the direction of the classroom teacher.

Any adult working or living in the area is welcome to participate, Atkinson said. Volunteers will be asked to undergo a background security check for the safety of all involved.

The volunteer program began in 1992 when Community Leaders Allied for Superior Schools (CLASS) and IUPUI formed a partnership to recruit adults to spend one hour per week as a volunteer in the school of their choice.

For more information or to volunteer, contact Amanda Stone at 317-274-5086 or stoneaj@iupui.edu. Also, visit the website www.iupui.edu/outreach/community/programs/.