by Jill Ragar Esfeld
jill.esfeld@theleaven.org
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — What is the greatest impact you can have on a child’s future given just one hour a week?
Mary Anne Brown knows.
A member of St. Pius X Parish in Mission, Brown volunteers with the Learning Club after-school tutoring program.
“I have never seen an organization that makes such efficient use of resources in people, money and time,” she said.
Learning Club Executive Director Laura Swan agrees.
“It seems small, just one hour a week,” she said. “But for some kids it might be the only hour that they get someone’s undivided attention.
“So it can be life-changing.”
Learning Club is also life-changing for its volunteer tutors.
“Some of our pairs (tutors and their students) stay together for years,” said Swan. “And it makes for this really unique experience, where students and volunteers grow so close.
“They can have a really rich and deep impact on each other’s lives.”
Learning Club is a nonprofit organization located in the heart of Kansas City, Kansas, dedicated to helping under- served children reach their full potential through personalized tutoring, mentoring, and enriching activities.
Volunteers with the after-school tutoring program meet K-12 students in public housing community centers or partner churches near the neighborhoods served.
In addition to helping with homework and reading, volunteers teach children about things like delayed gratification.
“We talk about how to set goals and then how to work toward those goals over time,” explained Swan. “We have a point system and [students] earn points for things like on-time attendance and for effort during sessions.
“They can save those points and get prizes.”
Volunteers do not need a background in education; the only requirement is an open heart.
“We provide all of the resources and training tutors need to succeed and build a good relationship with their students,” said Hannah Johnson, Learning Club volunteer and outreach coordinator. “Really, we’re just looking for people who want to be involved in the community and care about kids.”
Brown, who has volunteered with Learning Club for 10 years, has been amazed by the children she serves.
“One of the kids I tutored was probably the highest-intelligence kid I have ever had in all my years as a teacher,” she said. “She was just incredibly amazing.”
An additional blessing is the friendships she’s built with fellow volunteers.
“One of the best things about it is getting to know the other tutors,” said Brown. “There are so many different backgrounds, so many accomplished people.
“Just working with the other adults is a wonderful experience in itself.”
Volunteers become so close, it’s not unusual for them to have a little social time after the Learning Club session ends.
“They tutor for an hour and then they go have a little happy hour moment afterwards together,” said Johnson. “And that’s their weekly hangout as friends.”
Safety of children and tutors is a priority for the Learning Club.
“Oh my gosh, yes,” said Brown. “That was a concern of mine at the beginning, but it is completely safe.
“We’ve walked around in the neighborhoods and gone to the houses to see the families. Oh, it’s absolutely safe.”
Learning Club also hosts in-school reading programs that take place in five different elementary schools.
Volunteers provide one-on-one reading help during the school day.
“They give us a spare classroom,” explained Johnson. “We bring in our own books and our own resources.
“The school highlights for us kids who fit well with what we’re doing, and they get 20 to 25 minutes of one-on-one reading.”
With an eye to the future, Learning Club is also growing teachers right here in Kansas City through its High School Internship program.
Inner-city students interested in a teaching career receive training and professional development as well as a stipend and scholarship opportunities.
Interns give back by tutoring and mentoring younger students in the after-school program.
Max Grisnik, the Internship Director at Learning Club, works each year with about 80 students interested in exploring teaching as a career.
“Once a week,” he said, “we meet with the interns and provide them with college and career counseling and training centered around personal and professional development and education as a career.
“These are some extraordinary kids who really want to give back to the community, help themselves, but also help younger kids as well.”
Grisnik, a member of St. John the Baptist Parish in Kansas City, Kansas, sees the work of the Learning Club aligned with the teachings of the Catholic Church.
“Pope Francis spoke so eloquently about meeting people where they are and serving them where they are,” he said. “And at the Learning Club, we are in their community centers, we’re in their neighborhoods.
“I think serving them where they are, regardless of faith or background or opportunities they may or may not have, has really highlighted my faith.”
Learning Club has many wonderful students waiting to meet their tutors.
In one hour a week, a volunteer can affect the world by helping shape the future of a child.
“When the rest of life gets you down,” said Johnson. “Going to a Learning Club session makes you feel like, ‘Oh, things, things are okay.’
“We can be part of the solution to some of the challenges in the world.”
Volunteers needed
If you’re interested in volunteering with Learning Club, now is a perfect time. With just a few weeks left in the school year, you can get a feel for what it’s like to volunteer and decide if you want to come back next year.
To learn more, visit: www.learningclubkck.org.
