I’ve decided to wrap up Heart Month with a love story about the APIE team. If you are a volunteer in Classroom Coaching you know about the weekly support you receive from your Program Coordinators. Katia, Dawn, Elena, Amy, Sandy, Kirsten, Jessica and Chris provide real-time problem solving and coaching, weekly emails and new instructional tools to support students’ learning needs. They train every volunteer and find substitutes when needed. Each volunteer receives personalized attention even though these coordinators are supporting more than 100 volunteers each!
Our College Readiness team, Veronica, Paige and Jazmin, and their team of advocates are tutoring more than 200 students to get them ready to take and pass the COMPASS exam, qualifying them as college ready on the Texas Success Initiative standards. Being college ready means that these students can avoid developmental courses when they enter college and earn credits right away.
School mentors know that Anne’s training helps them engage with students at all levels on 120 campuses in the school district. The campus coordinators for volunteers, mentors and community partners know her as a willing and resourceful connector to help schools fulfill their needs.
But that’s just half of the story. Central to APIE’s success is the work of our systems team. Audrey, Chris, Marta and Saray have created systemic magic that drives our superior volunteer experience. They innovate every step of the pipeline, from recruitment to recognition and deliver a process so efficient that one recent volunteer went from first engagement to training in just six hours.
None of this happens without the tireless efforts of our Development and Communications team, Debbie and Denise, who’ve raised more than $1 million to support and grow APIE programs, and Finance team Robbie and Barbette who keep us compliant.
At a community event last week I met a gentleman who had never heard of APIE. I told him about 1000+ Classroom Coaches working with students in reading and math. I described 700 mentors who meet with students weekly to listen, advise and be an adult friend who cares. I talked about the 4000+ volunteers and community partners that we’ve connected to campuses in need. “That’s huge!” he cried.
It’s no secret that I am passionate about the work we do; I get that giddy, butterflies in my stomach feeling when I walk into the classroom with other volunteers each week. Am I in love? You bet I am!
Pat Abrams, Executive Director
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