Federal grant allows volunteer center to create “America Counts” tutoring program next semester

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The new math tutoring program, “America Counts,” will start this spring after the volunteer center received a federal grant in September.

Accompanying the existing “America Reads” program, the program will allow Central Michigan University students to tutor local elementary students struggling with math.

Students who wish to tutor in the spring semester can apply for work study positions in November.

Volunteer Center Coordinator Shawna Ross said volunteering is a great way for students to become involved in the community, as well as gain needed career experience. It also helps undecided majors gain new interests and choose future careers, she said.

“Our job is to connect students to meaningful volunteer experiences that enable them to become caring citizens,” Ross said.

Last year, the center helped more than 6,100 students find volunteer opportunities — about 22 percent of the total student body. The center hopes the new program will increase that number.

Another recent transition for the center is the name change to the Mary Ellen Brandell Volunteer Center.

Brandell, a former CMU professor who wrote a grant to start the center, left an endowment to keep the volunteer center going after she died a year ago.

Some of the center’s other initiatives include the David Garcia Project, Adopt-A-Grandparent, alternative breaks, Safer Sex Patrol and lunch buddies, which involve students in the community.

The center also holds campus-wide events, such as “Issue Day” and “Be My Neighbor Day.”

Issue Day is a one-day conference that seeks to educate and encourage students to take action on various social justice issues. Participants choose from various sessions that cover topics at the local, national and global levels. It will be held on Nov. 5 this year.

“It’s a great way for participants not only to learn about the issues, but also how to become involved,” said Elway Pegg, Dearborn volunteer center graduate assistant.

The center also holds events for Martin Luther King Jr. Day and creates valentines for veterans in February.

Ross said she encourages students to register on OrgSync to learn more about the center and sign up for future volunteer opportunities.