Friends You Can Use

Possibly the most gratifying aspect for YouthFriends Volunteers is thankful students. One day while Tammy Potts, Coordinator of the Basehor-Linwood Chapter of YouthFriends, was working in a kindergarten classroom, a student came to her and said, "Mrs. Potts, you're my UseFriend." Potts replied, "No, no I am a YouthFriend." The kindergartener smiled and replied,"No, Mrs. Potts, you're my friend I can use."

Last year alone the Basehor-Linwood Chapter of YouthFriends volunteered more than 6,000 hours helping Basehor-Linwood students. These hours amount to $103,140 saved if these volunteers were paid according to President Bush's Points of Light Initiative.

"We have an amazing group of people who want to give back to our community," said Potts.

And it's obvious these hours are not going to decrease anytime soon as 80 percent of all volunteers come back year after year and there were already 192 active volunteers as of September 3. Community members ranging from high school kids to retired teachers and everyone in between take part in this organization. The most popular programs are Care Cats, a group of high school students who volunteer their time in exchange for a 1/2 credit and service hours, and classroom helpers, volunteers who work with an individual or small group on particular projects or subjects.

"I like watching the kids learn," said James Bishop, Care Cat at the Sixth Grade Center. "It's great to see them get a new concept." Not only do volunteers help with math problems and reading but they are mentors who share their experiences, lessons learned, acquired skills, and their listening ear with students grades K-12. This sharing of lives is a reciprocal thing though. "This summer I went and saw my student play baseball and participated in the library summer reading program with him," said Pat Wolfe, YouthFriend Volunteer and retired teacher of 30 years.

Due to the active participation of community members, Basehor-Linwood YouthFriends was recognized nationally, 11 students and two volunteers qualified for the National Points of Light Award in 2003-04, and is constantly being recognized at the state level for consistent excellence within the program.

By Heather Myer

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