Celebrating our Volunteer Couples on this Loving Holiday

John and Jenny M. began tutoring in the fall semester of 2010. They wanted to get involved in the community and participate in a volunteering opportunity that focused on education. John found a flyer at his workplace, and together they signed up to be FLOC tutors.

Week in and week out, they find themselves sharing their experiences, what worked and what didn’t, and how they can use this knowledge to improve their tutoring.

“Volunteering at FLOC is one of the most fulfilling things we do each week, so it often comes up in our conversations with family and friends—especially John’s parents, who are teachers,” Jenny said.

Rob P. became a volunteer tutor at FLOC in the fall of 2009. Last fall, his wife Jessica decided she also wanted to get involved.

“He always came home with stories of him working with the students and it seemed like a great way for us to be involved in our community,” Jessica said.

Rob was more than helpful when Jessica began tutoring. He shared great advice and recommended that she take time both to really focus on fundamental math concepts and time to relax and discuss things other than math for a balanced and productive tutoring session.

Both couples enjoy tutoring together. “Being able to share such a wonderful and challenging experience with each other has made our time at FLOC even more meaningful,” Jenny said.

They continue to be involved as tutors and are just two of a handful of couples who currently volunteer at FLOC. On this 14^th of February, FLOC would like to wish our students, families, volunteers, partners, and board members a happy Valentine’s Day!

Meet Alexandra

Alexandra is a fourth grader who has been involved in the Neighborhood Tutoring Program for two years. Alexandra genuinely loves to learn, and she says that what she enjoys most about FLOC is that she gets to explore her favorite topics in greater depth than she would at home with her homework. She loves working with her tutor one-on-one and knows that she can have fun and still learn a lot!

Alex participates in the Saturday afternoon reading tutoring program which focuses on Language Arts. When I asked her what comes to mind when she thinks about FLOC, she said: “Every week I think of Saturday as my FLOC day, where I get to have fun with everyone and see my tutor.”

Alex hopes to stay involved and keep growing through in the Neighborhood Tutoring Program and eventually wants to participate in the Scholars program once she is in sixth grade.

Although she is only in 4th grade, Alex is quite ambitious and has big dreams! She wants to go to college and eventually become a doctor or a teacher.

This is my second year consecutively working with Alex and she is a pleasure! She has progressed immensely and does so with an enthusiastic, hard working, and fun attitude!

(Holly Friedman is an NTP Site Coordinator for the Tuesday Night and Saturday Afternoon Reading Programs.)

The Neighborhood Tutoring Program Welcomes Spring Interns

The Neighborhood Tutoring Program is excited to announce that we have two new interns from The Washington Center that will be working with us this semester. You’ll be seeing Ashleigh as a Site Coordinator for the Tubman Elementary and Saturday Morning tutoring programs. Lindsay will be a Site Coordinator in the Thursday Night program and will be assisting on new curriculum updates as our Curriculum Intern. So you can get to know them, here is a bit about our new interns in their own words:

My name is Ashleigh Stackpoole and I am currently a senior at Le Moyne College in Syracuse, New York. I recently moved to Washington D.C. for an internship program through the Washington Center. I have never lived outside of New York before so I am very excited to experience Washington D.C. I chose to intern with FLOC because I am extremely passionate about achieving equality for children and young adults within our education system. I believe that education is the key to success and to have the opportunity to be a part of an organization that works to provide this for our children is invaluable.

My name is Lindsay Davis. I am originally from Chesterfield, South Carolina and am currently a junior at Coker College. I am now interning with FLOC through The Washington Center, an academic internship program in Washington, D.C. I am very excited to have the chance to work at FLOC because it will be perfect preparation for the future. I am majoring in Elementary Education, love working with children, and one day want to be a teacher!

On behalf of all of us at FLOC, welcome Ashleigh and Lindsay!

(Kyla Wasserman is the NTP Curriculum Coordinator.)

FLOC says Goodbye to Fall 2011 Intern Ana

For Love of Children’s fall 2011 programs were made possible by the concerted efforts of dedicated volunteers, interns, and staff. As often as possible, we like to acknowledge the work of individuals whose outstanding contributions have made a positive impact on our programs.

One such individual is outgoing intern Ana Turco-Rivas. Ana, a freshperson atAmericanUniversity, interned with FLOC for the 2011 fall semester. As a site coordinator, she facilitated the math tutoring program atRossElementary Schooland the Saturday math tutoring program at FLOC.

A native ofVenezuela, Ana had some initial concerns about the amount of English writing that would be required of her as a Site Coordinator, but she took on assignments without reservation and responded to the demands of the position with great poise. Ana made invaluable contributions not only to our programs but also to the organization by helping with our recruitment initiatives, the student intake process, and occasionally leading parent orientations in Spanish.

Ana’s good attitude, idiosyncratic taste in music, and commitment to our students will be missed, but we wish her the best as she dedicates herself to her studies and finishes her first year of college.

(Joaquin Carbonell is the NTP Program Coordinator.)

FLOC’s Annual Holiday Gift Drive Makes Students’ Dreams Come True

With the holiday season coming to a close, it’s a great time to reflect on the spirit of the season and what it meant for the students at For Love of Children. Every year generous partners provide gifts for every one of our students in each of our DC-based programs. It’s always a hectic time getting wish lists and picking up and distributing gifts, but it’s all worth it in the end when you see the students’ reactions!

This year, thanks to our partners TerpSys, Jones Lang LaSalle, and Advisory Board Company, along with a few generous individuals, we were able to grant wishes for every student. During the last week of program, FLOC staff put together fun-filled holiday themed celebrations where the kids received their gifts. You could hear different voices exclaiming “This is just what I wanted!” or “How did they know?” as students opened their gifts. One student’s mom even told us how excited her daughter was about the gift she received and that she wouldn’t stop talking about it.

Sometimes we can forget the true meaning of the holiday season, but at For Love of Children, experiencing the holiday spirit through the eyes of our kids makes a lasting impression. So, on behalf of the students, families, volunteers, and staff, thank you to our partners for reminding us what it means to give back to the community.

(Ellie Haga is the Executive Assistant at FLOC.)

‘College Night’ sheds new light on post-secondary education

As we move into 2012, it should come as little surprise that we look to the future, with thoughts of what we hope to accomplish in the coming year. For most of us, these thoughts become resolutions that will undoubtedly be broken by the time February rolls around.  For families involved with FLOC, the future means post-secondary education, and with it, new opportunities.

College Night was the culmination of the Scholars Program’s fall semester, where FLOC fifth graders, middle school and high school students, parents and Post-secondary Scholars met for a night filled with questions, answers and plenty of discussion.

Students kicked off College Night with the College Fair. Twenty-five colleges including George Washington University, Miami University, Temple University, Albright College and Tufts University were represented. As the students made their way from booth to booth, Post Secondary Scholars were available to answer questions about the university they attend and what it offers to its students.

The twenty middle school students had the chance to play interactive games that focused on college. It helped them start thinking about postsecondary education and why attending college is important. FLOC parents were given the opportunity to sit in with academic and financial aid experts and learn about the college admissions process as well as the means to affording college. Dozens of high school students sat in at a panel discussion of their own with FLOC post secondary students, where high school students asked university students questions about how to choose a college, the differences between college and high school, and even what college students like to do for fun.

Sara Maddox, Scholars Program Specialist, believes that “this is one of the most important parts of the Scholars [Program]. It allows for our students to talk with those that have gone through what they have and to see college as an active possibility for their future.”

As 2011 came to an end, College Night provided an enjoyable end of the year celebration that allowed all students at FLOC to think about the coming year and many years after.

(Alex Stucky is a Scholars Program Instructor for grades 8 and 11.)

FLOC Partner Highlight: Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP Donate a Capitals Jersey to FLOC

For Love of Children (FLOC) benefits from the amazing support of many corporate partners in the community.  Each partnership provides exciting opportunities for FLOC to expand our message and reach.  Additionally, our partners are constantly finding new and exciting ways to help us to raise money so that we can continue to provide high-quality programming to children and teens in Washington, DC.   Here’s a fun example of how a partner is helping us fundraise.

Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP has donated a 2011 Washington Capitals Winter Classic Authentic Jersey autographed by the entire team.  FLOC is currently auctioning off the jersey on eBay with 100% of the sale price supporting FLOC.

Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP has been a FLOC supporter since September 2010 when they selected us for a multi-year partnership with the Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP Greater DC Community Foundation.  They support us in a variety of ways including hosting special events, making generous financial contributions, and even helping us engage volunteers to tutor with our Neighborhood Tutoring Program!  Such events included a “Casino Night” through which they helped raise awareness for FLOC’s participation in the Acumen Solutions Race for a Cause 8K and a mock trial at their D.C. headquarters for students in our Scholars Program.

The donation of the Capitals jersey is just another way Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP has proven they are amazing partners, and we are grateful to our friends at Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP for donating this item. Place your bids here!

Meet Dennis

A year and a half ago, Dennis Sellin decided that he “wanted to give something back.”

Dennis got that chance shortly after when he came across a FLOC flyer at the gym. He said it sounded “perfect” and exactly what he hoped to do, so last summer he became a tutor in the Summer Reading Program.

“It’s not a secret that the District of Columbiastruggles with education, especially childhood education, and I knew that was an area where there was a need for some volunteer work,” he said.

Dennis is quite fond of reading, which is one of the reasons he chose to volunteer with FLOC. His student, Davon, is a 9^th grader who at first didn’t express the same enthusiasm for reading. Davon used to tell him “I don’t like to read,” but Dennis has seen him change his mind. Now, Davon looks forward to reading a book at the end of the lesson, and he completely understands what he’s reading—a crucial step in the right direction.

“I’ve been really happy to hear that his academic performance in school has improved a lot, and it would be nice to think that some of that is due to FLOC,” he said.

Before FLOC, Dennis had zero experience as a tutor. Though at first he worried if he would click with the students and be able to relate to them, he now has different concerns. He doesn’t want to be boring; he strives to be interactive, creative and flexible throughout the lesson.

He especially stresses making the lesson fun. “You have to remember [that these students] have been in school all day and then they come here. It’s a long day.”

Dennis likes that he tutors at an organization that is doing good in the community and making a difference where it counts.

“Every single week you make a small advance,” Dennis says. “You watch them progress through the lessons and you have to believe that you’re having an impact.”

Dennis has had the chance to attend a few FLOC events and hear from principals, parents, and a few former FLOC students who are now in college. “That’s the payback. If I can help a little bit, doing something I love, why not?”

FLOC Scholars Help Raise Funds to buy Thanksgiving Meals

On Tuesday, November 22, six FLOC Scholars, one sibling and one staff member participated in Food & Friends’ Slice of Life Thanksgiving service event.

Food & Friends ”provides meals, groceries and nutrition counseling to people living with life-challenging illnesses such as AIDS and cancer.” FLOC volunteers along with many Food & Friends volunteers distributed and sold pies to raise money for the home cooked Thanksgiving meals Food & Friends provides to homebound individuals on Thanksgiving Day.

Student Spotlight: David

David, a hard-working sophomore in his third year in the Scholars Program and Neighborhood Tutoring Program, has many plans for the future—among them to learn French and Chinese and become quadrilingual.

David says that the FLOC programs have helped him improve his reading and writing skills and also taught him to search for university programs that interest him.

“Once I started coming here, I started getting good grades,” he said. David is proud to say that he earned straight As for three consecutive advisories.

David’s future plans include becoming an engineer in computer science and studying biochemistry in college.

His passion for engineering stems from his love for math, science, and technology. “It’s always growing. It never stops. Today you might think that the phone is the new thing and the next day, you’ll see something totally new and different…and you can be part of that growing community.”

David plans on participating in FLOC programs until he graduates. “It’s actually fun. Here at FLOC…any problem you have, they’ll help you come up with a solution.”