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Casa Madre needs volunteer tutors
By LINDA M. LINONIS
YOUNGSTOWN
The “one-on-one attention makes a world of difference” for students in kindergarten to 12th grade who participate in tutoring at Casa Madre.
It’s part of the children’s program offered through the HIV/AIDS Ministry of the Ursuline Sisters of Youngstown.
Linda Titus, director of Casa Madre, said the attention “keeps children focused and helps their study skills.”
But the tutoring program needs volunteers to assist at the tutoring house on the South Side of the city. Tutors focus on homework and academic skills with an emphasis on reading and math. Casa Madre has a range of teaching materials, including computer programs. Students also have access to two libraries.
Titus said tutoring takes place from 4:45 to 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. The schedule is flexible, she said, in that tutors set when and what days they can volunteer.
Titus said the program has long-term tutors who have seen students through high-school graduation. The program sometimes helps youths beyond that. Some tutors stay with one student for years. “They build a relationship,” Titus said. Other tutors have expertise in working with younger children, who move on to other tutors as they get older.
“Our tutors are high-school and Youngstown State University students, retirees and retired teachers,” Titus said. “The kids are very welcoming to the tutors.”
The tutoring program involves about 25 or so students, and on tutoring nights, there are from six to nine students attending.
She said the program also helps with transportation to the site, which is kept confidential, and has advocated for special education for some students. Some students have learning disabilities but not behaviorial issues.
“I believe the program keeps the students grounded,” Titus said. “There is a lack of stability and poverty in their homes. They also have to deal with chronic illness and, sometimes, mental illness.” She continued that having an adult focusing on a student and giving them attention helps on practical and emotional levels. “The kids see that someone is invested in them,” Titus said, and that is encouraging to them.
Sister Kathleen Minchin and Brigid Kennedy are co-directors of the HIV/AIDS Ministry. “The Casa Madre program works with children infected or affected with HIV or AIDS,” Kennedy said. “Most of the kids in the program don’t get a lot of attention on a one-on-one basis because the family is in crisis and there are multiple children,” she said. “The tutor also is a mentor who helps them with school work and listens to how their day at school went.”
Kennedy emphasized that the “positive reinforcement and attention” benefits children and “makes quite a difference in children’s lives.”
Tutors must go through a background check protocol similar to what is conducted in school districts on adults who work with children.
Titus said Casa Madre offers a summer camp program that includes a trip to an amusement park and archery. During the school year, the Casa Madre program takes students to sporting events, Christmas programs and plays. “We try to incorporate various activities,” Titus said.
For information on volunteering, call 330-788-0362.