Meet Sam Matias. He graduated from Yale University, now works for the City of Valparaiso and volunteers as a tutor in the Boys & Girls Clubs of Porter County Link & Learn Program. In January, Sam will be leaving Valparaiso to become a United States Marine. Sam is just one of hundreds of volunteers needed to tutor children at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Porter County. Sam feels that working with the children at the club is a, “great way to share your skills, gain leadership skills, benefit his community and just have fun.” With great volunteers like Sam leaving the club is in need of more volunteer tutors.
The Link & Learn program connects members with their own tutors for 45-minute sessions between 3 & 8 p.m. at the club. Tutors provide assistance with language arts and math to help students achieve mastery of state academic standards. Parents have the option of choosing the number of days per week their children attend the tutoring program. All volunteer tutors are background checked and trained.
Since its inception, Link & Learn has provided 2,813 youth in our Clubs located in Valparaiso, Portage, Duneland and South Haven, with 22,873 hours of tutoring with the help of 533 volunteer tutors. The demand and support from the community continues to grow. For more information about Link & Learn or other club programs please contact the club nearest you or visit www.bgcpoco.org.
Photo: Sam Matias (right) helps Boys & Girls Club member Cory Caldwell thru a math problem during a Link & Learn session.