I’ll start my blog with a wonderful story that happened a few weeks ago, but I was reminded of it just this week. I was speaking with a third grader about what he wanted to be when he grew up, and he mentioned he wanted to be a food critic. I said I would love that job because you get to eat at all kinds of really great restaurants. He asked my favorite, and I said, “Engine Company Number 28, in downtown Los Angeles.” When I asked him what his favorite was, he replied, “I don’t know where it is, but I love Coco’s”, and he went on to describe the great food they have. If you are not familiar with Coco’s, it is along the lines of Denny’s. I love this story for so many reasons, but mainly because when you are a kid, the simplest things can be so terrific!
On another note, this week, the librarian of the school came to me with a situation about a third grader whose mom has been helping out in the library. The student is falling behind in math and the mother would love to send her to LIST, but does not have the funds to do so (the librarian helped her buy a bus pass last month). The librarian explained to me that there are three children in the family, and one grandchild, and due to certain circumstances, there is only one income. This student has been retained once before and is now struggling again.
As the librarian explained the situation to me, I immediately recognized the need. I am working with the librarian and the parent to see what we can arrange. My thought is to have the mother volunteer it the library on the days this student comes to LIST and this will serve as payment for our services at LIST. Another option, involves you, the reader, if you would be interested in sponsoring this student, we could arrange for her to attend two days a week. This would be a total of $35 for the month (we give a discount when a month is paid for in advance). If you are interested in sponsoring this student for a month, or longer, please contact me, Kim Vellenga at kvellenga@listhelps.org. We can arrange for this student to write you letters periodically, and we can send updates to you on her progress.
Finally, we are looking to start some Saturday programs starting in January. These programs can include anything from art classes, science classes, book clubs and the like. If you have a talent and would like to share this with our students, please contact me at kvellenga@listhelps.org. We can tailor the class to your needs and requirements – the age range, number of students and of course, topic as well as date. We will arrange to have a set group of students pre-registered so that there will be no surprises. Again, if you are interested, please email me.
