Please join us in celebrating National Volunteer Week! Since BPIE’s inception as “School Volunteers for Boston” in 1966, we have been committed to engaging volunteers to serve the students in our community and inspiring others to get involved. National Volunteer Week is an opportunity to recognize and thank volunteers who lend their time, talent, voice, and resources to meet the critical needs of our communities. BPIE’s volunteer academic mentors are the cornerstone of our programs. We recruit, train, and support hundreds of volunteers each year, building bridges between BPS students and the broader Boston community while adapting to best meet students’ individual and collective needs.
For their hard work, we want to take the time to celebrate the volunteers who make our impact possible. All of our volunteers make a significant commitment to BPS students, whether helping third graders with math or supporting high school seniors with preparation for college or career. Their stories serve to inspire others to take action, realize their power to make a difference and be a force that transforms the world.
Several of our academic volunteers have shared their impactful stories with our team, and we’ve collected a few to share with you in honor of this week:
“I love getting to talk with my mentee about his own interests and relate it to the stories we read! He gets really excited when he sees a picture in the story that reminds him of games he plays, and it really helps him focus and learn!”
– Ella, Academic Mentor at Josiah Quincy Elementary School
“It might seem like a small thing, but one day a few weeks ago, we did not have time for a writing workshop, and a student began to cry. It was unexpected to learn that he actually loves writing time because this particular student seems to struggle during independent learning assignments. It’s been a great experience to be working with the K2 red ladybugs and Danielle Janiel at the Eliot school again!”
-Deni, Academic Mentor at Eliot Lower School
“All the mentees are amazing! They are so sweet and engaging, and I have loved spending my time with them”
– Cecilia, Academic Mentor at Hernandez K-8
National Volunteer Week is a time to celebrate the impact of volunteer service on our communities.
To read more about National Volunteer Week (NVW) and its creation, impact, and legacy, check out the National Proclamation on NVW from President Biden and Points of Light’s resource page on NVW.
Thank you, BPIE volunteers!