At Literacy KC, we rely heavily on the participation and active engagement of volunteers. In 2016, over 300 volunteers served a total of 8,472.55 hours at Literacy KC, the equivalent of over four full-time staff members! According to The Independent Sector’s rates for volunteer hours, the value of the work of our volunteers was over $195,000 this past year! These numbers mean a great deal to Literacy KC and they reinforce what we already know: that our volunteers are some of the most generous and dedicated in Kansas City.
You can get involved in many different aspects of our organization. From tutoring in the classroom and administering student assessments to answering phones, making copies, and helping us with events, our volunteers are always embedded in the office. When asked why she tutors in the classroom, Literacy KC volunteer Janice replied, “The instructors can’t help everyone at once, volunteers are needed to help out. There is such a difference in each individual’s needs that sometimes you need to break off and spend time one-on-one with each individual, and some days we do depending on the day.” Join Janice and our other tutors by supporting instructors in our Ticket to Read classes, helping parents read with their children in our Let’s Read Family Reading Program, or assisting students in our computer lab with digital literacy classes!
The pie chart below gives a breakdown of volunteer hours completed based on the type of task involved. As shown, the majority of our over 300 volunteers are involved with tutoring or classroom support. However, that does not mean all of our volunteers are in the classroom. If you would like to get involved in another capacity, we can find the right fit for you! Signing up to volunteer with us is easy: to fill out the volunteer application, click here!
Volunteers are an integral part of our team and without them we would be unable to offer the depth of services that our students need and deserve. From all of us at Literacy KC, we’d like to say thank you to our amazing volunteers! Do you have questions about volunteering with us? View our frequently asked questions here or email our Volunteer Coordinator, Kate Brown, at kbrown@literacykc.org.
