Reading Partners Baltimore has a lot to be thankful for this holiday season!

The holiday season can be a great time to reflect upon the things we are most thankful for. This season, Reading Partners is giving thanks to one of our greatest assets: the dedicated, passionate, and fun volunteers we work with everyday. Our tutors are the heart of our program. Their commitment to our students’ success and our community is something to be truly grateful for.

For some volunteers, tutoring a few times a week isn’t enough. We have a whole community of volunteers who have gone above and beyond to give back a little bit more. Here are just a few creative and inspiring examples:

Community yoga for good. To close out the year and provide a little relaxation during this holiday season, a second-year tutor from Francis Scott Key Elementary School is donating her time as a yoga instructor to lead us through mindful movements at a local studio, CorePower Yoga Brewers Hill. Hosting a free event with a suggested donation is an easy and fun way to raise money for Reading Partners while bringing current and new participants together to spread our message.

Tutoring x2. Providing additional tutoring sessions is a favorite amongst some of our tutors. One tutor in particular, Ms. Samantha, a second-year tutor through University of Maryland, Baltimore County, started tutoring a second student because she enjoys tutoring so much. Ms. Samantha often stays after her tutoring session or comes in early to help with tasks around the reading center. On top of that, she also attends as many of the make-up tutoring sessions on Fridays as she can.

Refer a friend. One of the easiest ways to do a little extra for Reading Partners this year is to simply refer a friend or two to become a tutor. If you have friends who are looking to volunteer in the Baltimore community, be sure to tell them about your experience and the successes you have had so far. Share a story about the progress your student is making or talk about what a tutoring session looks like in the reading center.

Amazon wish list donations. In the beginning of the school year, a current tutor of ours created a book wish list on Amazon that was shared with her family, friends, and colleagues so that they could buy and donate books to the reading center where she tutored. While working with her kindergarten student, she noticed that there were very few culturally relevant books available. The best part about this? She customized her wish list on Amazon to have 250 books based on the #1000BlackGirlBooks campaign and the Coretta Scott King Book Awards! Her reading center is now stocked with culturally diverse books for students to take home and build their own library. Not sure which books to include on an Amazon wish list? Feel free to share the Reading Partners Baltimore Wish List instead.

We are thankful to be in such a giving community, a community where our volunteers are always looking for other ways to get involved. This holiday season we thank all of our volunteers for their extraordinary dedication.

Do you have a great idea to get more involved? Or, an awesome talent you’d like to donate? We welcome all creatives! Feel free to contact us at volunteerBAL@readingpartners.org if you have something else in mind.