Partners in Education Call for Volunteers Founded by the Toledo Rotary in 1994, Partners in Education (PIE) has a long history of service in the Toledo community. This school year, PIE has supported literacy and college and career readiness education for over 1,000 area K-12 students in 16 schools. PIE also engaged with over 130 community volunteers, training and providing them with opportunities to serve their community. This part is perhaps the most important because it means that Toledoans are showing up for this important cause. Because of the immense challenges students today face, PIE really needs the help of community volunteers. PIE’s programs are run by paid staff but are stronger with a good volunteer base. Volunteers can have powerful impacts on students’ social-emotional health, as working with their mentor helps them feel that their community truly cares about their success. When a student works with a literacy mentor or meets a local professional who is doing a job they admire, they feel more confi dent in their abilities and optimistic about their futures. “I like coming to MiTS because it helps me feel smarter.... Like I can spell Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!” said a student involved in Mentors in Toledo Schools (MiTS). A College and Career Ready, Set, Go (CCRSG) student shared a similar excitement. “I used to want to be a fi refi ghter because of the station across the street. But now I think I want to be a fi nancial analyst because I learned about that job last time,” the student said. Volunteers can see the difference they are making as well. “PIE truly helps students because they get more adults in the classroom. Many organizations provide supplies but PIE has adults forming relationships with students to help them succeed,” the volunteer said. Research shows that volunteerism correlates with better health outcomes, like lower blood pressure and better mental health. One volunteer in the MiTS program consistently calls the work “fuel for the soul.” “Volunteering allows me to connect to my community and make it a better place,” said a CCRSG volunteer. We have to work together as Toledoans to make this work – and be part of something bigger. Take pride in our city, in our town and come together to build our own future. PIE’s programming addresses important community needs but we rely on volunteers to extend the reach of our programs. We need your help to provide the 1:1 mentoring our students need to grow. We also need volunteers as career speakers and mentors for students in our college and career readiness program. Anyone interested in joining our PIE team can contact us at info@partnerstoledo.org. Our next volunteer recruitment class will be in August 2024 for the 20 24-25 school year. Big Brothers and Big Sisters By Ben Stalets I started volunteering with Big Brothers Big Sisters Northwest Ohio (BBBS) about a year ago, after attending a Leadership Toledo program. On the fi nal programming day, Leadership Toledo urged us to volunteer with one of several nonprofi ts. I noticed that the BBBS booth wasn’t getting as much attention. Perhaps it seemed too much of a commitment for a busy professional - that was my dead reckon. I would’ve fi gured the same but they told me they only expected a commitment of a couple days, a couple hours each month. I signed up even though I didn’t know much about the program before that. After several months of background checks and interviews, I fi nally met my “little” - a 12-year -old boy who’s taller and stronger than me. As I got to know him better, I found out that it was no accident that his Nana, Paula Chadwick, signed him up for the program. She’d been a part of BBBS when she was a child and she wanted her grandchildren to have the same positive experiences. I asked Paula about it and she had this to say. “I was pretty young, maybe 10, when I found out about BBBS. My mother signed my sister and I up for it. They did a lot for me – I actually loved it! We did a lot of very fun things together –went to her house, went exploring – all kinds of things. She also formed a very unique relationship with me, where I was able to talk about important stuff that I didn’t want to talk to my parents about. “These days I have my grandchildren in the program. I like it for them because they can do a little more for the kids that we might not necessarily have the time for. They can get the kids out of the house if we aren’t able to. It gives them someone to talk to that they wouldn’t have otherwise.” I’ve really enjoyed my time with the program so far. Of course it’s charitable, but I also feel like I’m doing some inner-child work on myself, as well. Saying words and expressing sentiments that I would’ve like to hear as a kid. I’m also learning quite a bit from my little. We’ve played basketball, gone trick-ortreating, and went to see a musical. The list goes on and I’m excited for whatever we do next. I didn’t realize what a positive impact it could be to just consistently show up for someone. You don’t need to be rich, or have some deep wisdom, or to be funny or entertaining. Showing up and being authentic is a unique relationship that we all need in our lives, regardless of age. Only you know if you’re in a position to be a Big Brother or Big Sister, but I’ll say it’s a really fulfi lling way to spend some of your free time. If you’re interested, go to https://www. bbbsnwo.org Page 7
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