As we move into the Thanksgiving break, I can not believe the school year is passing so quickly. At this point, we have more students on our waiting list then we are currently serving, so next week, with the break, I will be spending most of my time seeking out new venues to find volunteers. If you know of websites, schools and/or community/retirement centers that may be helpful in this area, please email me: kvellenga@listhelps.org.
Last week I posed about the first grade student I am working with. I mentioned that we made great progress as he was able to read four letter words, with some consistency. This week, his progress was even greater! I can almost see his brain clicking over to the mechanics of reading. This week, his reading was even more fluent and his success rate in sounding out words has greatly increased. I did not have to cover the words up as I have been doing recently, instead, he was able to break them down on his own and blend them together! This is a huge step, and I can see the ball start to roll; we have much work ahead of us, but this progress is encouraging.
Finally, the main task I was working on this week can be summed up by the word fundraising. I spent some time continuing to promote our Christmas Gospel Concert, Tiz Hiz Season. If you have not bought tickets, now is a great time to do so, before the rush of the holidays overwhelms us. Go to www.listhelps.org and click on the link. I also spent much of my week preparing quotes for our annual Jazz event. I have found some great potential venues; our board of directors meets this weekend to determine which option to go forward with, so stay tuned!
I hope you all have a very Happy Thanksgiving; I will not post until after the Holiday since we will be closed for the Thanksgiving week. Enjoy your family and friends, and eat lots! :)
