Tag Archives: CPCC

Where a child (and their parent) meets the village

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Kindergarten isn’t what it used to be. Or, it isn’t what I remember it to be.

I recently discovered this as I struggle to keep up with my eldest son’s social calendar, school fundraisers, class projects, extracurricular activities and homework. He’s five years old, a kindergartner. An 8-hour school day followed by homework!?

The kindergarten I remember was comprised of circle time, free play time and naps. The school day was four hours long.

I have no doubt the reading and writing skills my son is honing early in his education will help him succeed well into high school and beyond. My wife and I are very pleased with his teacher and the public school he is attending.

But Kindergarten has been an eye-opener on just how involved a parent must be in their child’s education. All too often, students do not have the full support of their family. Educators believe the lack of parental support is a key reason why nearly 20% of all North Carolina students don’t graduate from high school.

When parents are struggling to provide basic needs for their children, like food and shelter, it’s easy to understand why they may not be focused on what’s happening at their child’s school. Language barriers also isolate parents from their school communities.

Hands On Charlotte, along with several partner agencies, is working to eliminate these hurdles and engage more parents in their child’s education through a new initiative, the Coalition for Albemarle Road Elementary School (CARES). The coalition opens the school on two evenings each month and invites adults and children to come to the school for a free dinner. The meal is followed by educational clubs for students and life-skills classes for parents, including Healthy Living, English as a Second Language (ESL) and CMS Parent University. CARES also provides childcare for younger children.

CARES borrowed the Family Night concept from a similar program at McClintock Middle School. Since its inception in 2007, McClintock Partners in Education (McPIE) has seen a decrease in student absenteeism and higher scores on standardized tests. Like CARES, the efforts at McClintock are a collaborative effort involving a church, the neighborhood and the school’s faculty and staff.  

Educational achievement is only one measurement of success for Family Night. Kamille Pickens, one of three AmeriCorps VISTA members who help Hands On Charlotte manage the CARES initiative, said instructors have given parents some potentially life-changing advice: a mother who was able to get a scholarship from the Susan G. Komen Foundation to pay for a mammogram after finding a lump in her breast, and several ESL families who learned their rights when stopped by law enforcement, clearing up some common misconceptions.

Through these relationships and by establishing networks of support, volunteers can help children succeed in school and improve the lives of their families. It’s an investment of time and money. Grants from the City of Charlotte, the Teen Impact Fund and the Annie E. Casey Foundation help cover expenses, including meals, program materials and childcare providers. Donations from individuals and partner agencies will be crucial for sustaining the Family Night program.

Opportunities abound for volunteers who wish to bolster the work of Charlotte’s educators in other ways. Hands On Charlotte’s project calendar includes several tutoring and mentoring events every month, through partnerships with Central Piedmont Community College and several Mecklenburg non-profit agencies.

When our community shares its talent, time and resources, every child has the ability to succeed in school and establish a foundation for a successful life.

Mark Boone

Board Member and Communications Volunteer

Hands On Charlottte

Matching Skills to Charlotte’s Needs

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When Erica Butler moved to Charlotte last summer, she wanted to meet new friends and put some of her free time to good use. “I did a Google search for ‘volunteering in Charlotte’ and found Hands On Charlotte,” she said.

Erica was intrigued by HOC’s skills-based volunteer program, which matches specific interests and talents of volunteers with the needs of partner organizations in Charlotte. As a financial analyst, Erica was able to bring her database management experience and detail-oriented focus to the Community Development Department at Central Piedmont Community College.

CPCC had approached Hands On Charlotte for additional resources when, like many other educational institutions, the college lost staff positions due to budget reductions. Help was needed to coordinate the many volunteers who mentor CPCC students in the college’s GED program, draft newsletters to distribute to volunteers, and act as a liaison between volunteers and CPCC instructors.

Hands On Charlotte connected Erica with CPCC and she began her role in January. “It’s  really nice to see the whole picture,” she said of her volunteer responsibilities in the mentoring program. “It was a way to do something meaningful and I like being involved.”

Although the SBV position is a one-year commitment, Erica said the flexibility of being able to volunteer her time in the evening, while at home, is an ideal role for a busy schedule.

Erica said she has already developed a new friendship with the staff at CPCC and is looking forward to getting to know the mentoring program’s volunteers.

You can sustain HOC’s ability to activate skilled volunteers and match them with our community’s needs. Consider a donation to our spring giving campaign.

Mark Boone

Board Member & Communications Volunteer

Hands On Charlotte

Find your passion: HOC Flexible Calendar

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Choices, choices, choices, sometimes too many options can be overwhelming. For volunteering, Hands on Charlotte’s variety of volunteer projects provides limitless opportunities for volunteers to find their niche. Ashly Kirkpatrick is one of many HOC volunteers that has experienced this variety through attending more than 20 HOC projects since June 2011.

A three-year Charlottean, Ashly is a Lead Donor & Client Support Specialist with the American Red Cross in Charlotte. After a quick internet search for volunteering, Ashly located HOC’s website and was drawn in by the numerous opportunities to volunteer. “It makes it so much easier to volunteer. There’s something for everyone!”

Ashly began her HOC journey at CPCC’s Harris campus, tutoring adult students working toward attaining their G.E.D, “It was amazing to see the progress they made over the semester.”

Ashly decided to continue volunteering with HOC because, “Not only were the days and times a perfect fit for my schedule, but after my first project I felt like I really helped someone and it was just overall a rewarding experience. “Her favorite project so far is working with Hawthorne High School students. She explained, “I enjoy interacting with the students there and not only are they learning from me, but I learn something from them after every tutoring session.”

Ashly highlights, “HOC is a wonderful organization and it’s very easy to get started volunteering.” She encourages new volunteers to experience projects in multiple areas.  “I would just like to say thank you to everyone at HOC for giving me the opportunity to volunteer and making the entire process (from orientation to signing up for projects) so easy!” 

We thank Ashly and all of our HOC volunteers for their continued service. If you’d like to learn more about Hands on Charlotte’s many volunteer opportunities, visit us at http://www.handsoncharlotte.org/.

Carmen Silvia

Hands On Charlotte

Communications Volunteer

Editors note: This is the first of five entries during National Volunteer Week. If you appreciate the work of Hands On Charlotte to keep volunteer opportunities accessible to you and the entire community, please signify that appreciation by donating to our spring fundraising campaign.

Volunteer Experience: Service makes getting up in the mornings easier

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[Editor's Note: This blog post is a first of  bi-weekly blog posts we'll be featuring from some of our volunteers and volunteer leaders under our "Volunteer Experience" category. This month's post is by Sean Leto.]

There are so many things Hands on Charlotte does well. The organization’s entire model gives people a chance to get involved in everything from Bingo to mountain biking with the flexibility to fit your hectic schedule. However, the one project that always stands above the rest (for me) is its GED/ABE tutoring project.

Education is something I see many people striving for — people looking to obtain an education to get better jobs, to create a brighter future, or, just simply, to learn to read to improve their daily lives. This is where Hands on Charlotte’s partnership with Central Piedmont Community College’s GED/ABE project helps. The GED project is there to match volunteers with people, to help tutor non-traditional students (ages 18-70) with anything from math to English. The best part about this Hands On project and what really sets it apart is the individual time you get to spend with each person. It isn’t a class or a group but “one-on-one” time that helps you really learn about the person you are working with.

This past Thursday, my time was spent with a brilliant girl named Kayla. Kayla is studying to get her GED and to work to conquer the English language. What made this session rewarding was watching Kayla solve her first problem by herself. It was a moment that really made me say, “Wow… this person is smarter than she knows.” It was when her smile lit up and I knew she never needed me in the first place. She just needed someone to be there to give her the confidence to try. It can’t completely be described — it is something that needs to be experienced. I am just grateful for the experience.

Every day, you get up for work, you hear the noise of the alarm clock, and you know very little will change in your life.  For me, the alarm clock is like music to my ears because I know at the end of the day, I will be spending my time helping someone better his or her life. Maybe you can’t change the world in one hour, but, with Hands On Charlotte, at least I feel like I am making some difference. Thank you HOC and thank you Kayla — it is nice to be part of something that just seems to keep getting better.

Sean Leto
HOC Volunteer

Tutor works with GED student as a part of CPCC's GED/ABE program, in partnership with Hands On Charlotte. Photo Courtesy: www.cpcc.edu