By Sheryl Kornman
The Tucson Citizen
September 27, 2004

Seven-year-old Luis Robles is learning how to read in English with the help of native Panamanian Migdalia DeRoock.

Robles, a second-grader, is a newcomer to Tucson from Nacozari, Son.
He wants to learn the language of his adopted country "so I can talk in English with my friends," he said.

Also, "I want to learn more."

He said he wants to grow up to be like his principal at Walter Douglas Elementary School, Manuel Valenzuela, who has helped bring DeRoock and other older adults into his school to tutor children one-on-one.

The program is called Experience Corps and Tucson is the 13th U.S. city chosen to be part of it.

The Volunteer Center of Southern Arizona applied for an Experience Corps grant and is the first city in four years to be added to the program, according to Ellen Hargis, the center's president and CEO.

Experience Corps is a program of Civic Ventures, a Washington, D.C., nonprofit. It aims to help children get out of poverty by reducing school dropout rates and promote the health of an aging society by linking adults over 55, through service, to the young people in their communities.

High school graduates make more money than dropouts and are more likely to have jobs, according to the Employment Policy Foundation. Workers with a two-year college degrees can expect to earn nearly $230,000 (in 2003 dollars) more during their lifetimes thana high school graduates.

John Gomperts, CEO of Experience Corps, last week visited Walter Douglas Elementary, 3302 N. Flowing Wells Road, where Experience Corps tutors have just started working with children in first, second and third grades.

He was impressed that the school has a paid coordinator whose job is to oversee a range of volunteer activities at the school.

The entire climate of the school is affected by the Experience Corps program because children in the program become positive role models for their peers, Gomperts said.
The program's broad goal is to help kids get on the path to a stable, middle-class life, he said.

The volunteers are encouraged to help with reading skills and to develop a child's confidence and skills to help the child succeed in life, Hargis explained.

At the end of the school year, 80 percent of the children in this nationwide program have increased their reading skills by half a grade level, according to Hargis. Students are tested and progress reports keep track of their rising skill level.

The volunteers are trained for 20 hours before they meet with a student and also get ongoing training in lesson planning, tutoring strategies and child development. They get a small stipend for their service. Volunteers' skills are evaluated by on-site supervisors.

And each volunteer who receives a stipend is expected to recruit an unpaid volunteer to the program.

The Volunteer Center has funding this year for about 50 Experience Corps tutors who will volunteer in several area elementary schools for 15 hours a week for nine months.

"Pima County has a wealth of resources in people who have retired to this community and Experience Corps is nationally recognized for its outstanding programs that engage seniors," Hargis said.

"Our partnership will go a long way in ensuring our children read at grade level by the third grade," Hargis said in a statement.

"Studies show that students who are reading well by third grade are much less likely to drop out in high school than students who aren't reading well by age 9," she said.

Valenzuela said he welcomed the program because he believes community effort is important to the success of a school and its children.

Many Walter Douglas students live in poverty and "we need to embrace the challenge," Valenzuela said.

And, Gomperts said, Experience Corps volunteers challenge the notion of the "greedy geezer."

"They (older Americans) want to give back to the community and the school."
Older adults care about the future of their city and its children, Gomperts said.
"Older people are not the enemy of public education."

Salvador Gomez is 8 and in second grade at Walter Douglas.

He and his Experience Corp tutor, James Harris, are reading a story called "Pig Sty."
"If you can read, you can do anything," Harris said.

The former third baseman and catcher with the Detroit Tigers organization is taking part in the tutoring program because he wants to help children.

"They need someone to help teach them. Each has a unique personality. It's fun," Harris said. "I just love it."

He found out about the program through an announcement in the newspaper and applied.
Salvador said he wants to learn to read so he can help others.

Both Salvador and Luis speak mostly Spanish at home and don't really have much help reading in English from family members, who either don't speak much English themselves, or are at work when the children are doing their homework.

The Experience Corps tutors are also expected to serve as "miniambassadors" for the school, forging another link between the school and children's families.

The Volunteer Center got a $70,680 grant to fund the literacy program and is seeking $35,608 in matching funds.