My almost three-year-old granddaughter has figured out that something special is about to happen. First a big tree came into the house and now it has sparkly lights on it. On a recent trip to the mall with her parents she laid eyes on a big man in a red suit.

She’s told he will be bringing presents. Her curiosity won out over her normal shyness as she greeted him with both excitement and fright. Days later as she helped with decorations, she inquired about the stockings by the fireplace. Her mother explained it, causing Kate to beeline to the other room where her father is working. “Dad,” she whispers, perhaps fearing that exposing the secret will somehow dispel it. “Santa Claus is going to put presents in the stockings!”

This is magical, both for Kate, and for the adults who get to witness it. Magic comes in many forms. For the volunteers at APIE, it most often happens when one of our students has an “a-ha” moment in math; or in reading, when a challenging word is understood. It happens at the end of every class when they ask, “Will you be here next week?” It happens when we see mastery giving birth to self-confidence.

Please help us make magic for Austin students. We currently need more than 150 volunteers for the spring semester that starts January 17th. Please go to austinpartners.org/volunteer to register.

Wishing you and yours a magical holiday,

Pat Abrams, Executive Director