© 2003, Rotary Club of Charleston

P.O. Box 21029
Charleston, SC 29413-1029

Club secretary:
Carroll Schweers
chasrot@comcast.net

SOS for local schools ends in success
Some 200 volunteers will help tutor students this summer

JUNE 3, 2003 - An innovative volunteer program developed in Charleston will allow more than 200 students who won't have summer school this year to be tutored.

Due to state budget cuts this year, more than 4,000 Charleston County students who need remedial help won't be able to attend summer school.

But the "Summer of Success" program, organized by the City of Charleston's Jacqui Kennedy and Rotarian Jane Riley, will link 241 students with more than 200 community volunteers.

With guidance from certified teachers, tutors will provide students with help every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from June 10 to July 24. Each day's tutoring session will be individualized for students' needs and last two hours.

The program will be offered at 19 county schools.

Just six weeks ago, the program didn't even exist.

"This is a small group that came together and said, 'Enough is enough - we're going to do something about it,'" Kennedy said.

Riley said the community support for the program has been amazing.

"To our knowledge, there isn't any other community that has done this before," she said.

More students likely would participate, she said, if there were adequate transportation to schools. But many elementary and middle-school parents aren't able to get their children to the tutoring sessions.

Riley said the volunteer effort can still use about 75 tutors. If you're interested, please contact her.

Kennedy said program coordinators hope to be able to offer tutoring sessions next year and perhaps help other communities offer it.

"This is a prime example of the community's desire to reconnect with our schools," she said. "We want to have a well-oiled tutorial program that can be replicated."

- Andy Brack