It All Adds Up – A Short Lesson In Multiplication And Geometry.
Give a few hours a week and it multiplies a hundred times over.
Who remembers geometry? fondly? Two random points on a graph; connect them, and suddenly you’ve made a line moving in a particular direction. Connect more dots, and suddenly you see a shape! OK, maybe that’s not all geometry, but you get my point.
Picture Josh, a teenager who’s been in and out of foster care, and currently lives in a group home. At 16, he’s bright, well-mannered, and more mature than most of his peers.
Picture Ed, a volunteer through our Life Support program – a mentor who has known Josh for 3 years now; who cares about Josh’s desire to attend college; who is concerned about Josh failing 10th grade Geometry.
Picture Sarah, a stay-at-home mom with two young children – a young mother who decides to volunteer as a tutor for our College Fellows program; who gives her time each week to a kid called Josh.
Picture Ms. Field, a high school math teacher who teaches 5 classes a day; who records the failures and successes of assignments and tests; who gets a phone call from a concerned tutor called Sarah.
Four seemingly random people, connected to form direction and shape for one boy in foster care who dreams of college.
As his Geometry tutor, Sarah became Josh’s advocate, reaching out to Ms. Field, asking for incomplete assignments to be re-worked and accepted for partial credit. They work painstakingly and the effort pays off – Josh’s grade increased by 20 points in 2 months, and he passed his recent test! Sarah gives credit to Josh too – he matches her efforts with his own determination.
Sarah encourages others to give even a tiny bit – this can multiply a hundred times for one child. “Even with a busy life of having two toddlers, making time to tutor once a week has made a difference. This program connects you with a great need that can be met in the midst of a busy life,” she says.
Through the work of FGI, Josh was connected with a mentor, who connected with College Fellows, who connected Josh with a tutor, who connected to the teacher, who all rallied together to help Josh succeed. Celebrating life together, the mentor, tutor, and group home threw Josh a party this week for his 17th birthday.
The work doesn’t stop here, but the future’s shaping up to be bright for this young man!
