National Volunteer Week Offers Opportunities

DETROIT - April 10, 2015 - PRLog -- DETROIT – April 10, 2015 – Volunteers at the St. Vincent and Sarah Fisher Center (http://www.svsfcenter.org/) (SVSF) will make a difference during National Volunteer Week (April 12-18) – and every week throughout the year.

National Volunteer Week was established in 1974, and is a program of Points of Light (http://www.pointsoflight.org/), the world’s largest organization dedicated to volunteer service. The week is about inspiring, recognizing and encouraging people to engage in their communities. People can affect social change by working together.

“Our volunteers profoundly affect the lives of our children,” explains Diane Renaud, Executive Director/CEO of SVSF. “They help each student in a very personal way so they make progress, confidence and proceed to the next level of education. That achievement is immeasurable to the community.”

The volunteers at SVSF provide free, personalized, educational support to both children and adults.  The Adult GED program is offered at four locations across Detroit.  The Children’s Program, supporting grades 1 – 5, is after school from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m., Monday – Thursday, at the main SVSF campus in Northwest Detroit. SVSF staff train and supervise the volunteers who work one-on-one with the children, providing individual tutoring in reading and STEM studies (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).  Volunteers also help young students during SVSF’s summer program.

“The number of children we serve is limited only by the number of volunteers we have for our after-school program.  We always need more volunteers who want to make a difference in the life of a child,” says Renaud.

If you are interested in helping to make a difference in our community, please contact Beth Kraft, beth.kraft@svsfcenter.org, (313) 535-9200, ext. 3104, or visit svsfcenter.org.  All volunteers receive orientation and training, and are assisted daily by the center’s dedicated staff.

St. Vincent and Sarah Fisher Center began in 1844 as St. Vincent’s Academy in Detroit, a kindergarten for orphaned children. The organization evolved through the years and moved to Farmington Hills, establishing an adoption/foster care residence for children. In 2006, when policies and the economy changed, the Center closed its residential doors, but wanted to continue to fulfill its mission of serving at-risk children and adults. Identifying the significant need, the Center returned to Detroit and its roots of education, and now provides free, personalized educational support for children and adults. These programs are designed to help build self-sufficiency skills for academic and employment success, personal achievement and dignity. Visit www.svsfcenter.org to learn more.