After retiring I made a decision to volunteer and give back to society. A person I knew once said, “If you are not giving back to society, you are just taking space.” I have had the pleasure of working on committees at church, reading to kindergarteners, mentoring elementary school students, data entry at Red Cross, Senior Medicare Patrol, and project: Homes building ramps for low-income handicapped persons which I enjoyed most.
Next to building the ramps I have found the most satisfaction in being a tutor at READ Center. In addition to being a class tutor for 4 years, I have done one on one tutoring. Currently, I am tutoring at the Richmond Public Library classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I have great admiration for the adult students who take time from work to come to class to improve themselves by learning to read and write.
I realized the important impact READ Center has on the lives of the students from a story about one of the students in the class. A tutor told me she was here 5 years ago when he started class. He was withdrawn and could not read. Today, I see an outgoing person who is able to read and write stories.
If a person likes to help people and has patience, they will gain great satisfaction by being a READ Center tutor.
Thank you, Harvey, for all you do for The READ Center students!
If you would like to learn more about becoming an adult literacy volunteer, please visit the Volunteer page on our website for more information.
