Pete is a loyal volunteer who has demonstrated a steadfast commitment to supporting CPS students for 10 years. He began volunteering at the Putnam Avenue Upper School in the 2015-2016 school year and then began volunteering at the CRLS Tutoring Center in the 2017-2018 school year. His dedication, consistency, and patience have contributed to building strong relationships with all of his students. When students request to keep working with him year after year (from seventh to eleventh grade, and currently ninth to tenth grade), it’s obvious that he’s doing something right! He meets students where they are, ensures they truly understand, and connects with them in a way that makes learning easier.

Stephanie started as a CSV volunteer in 2024 after 27 years as an elementary school principal and 23 as a teacher. She began volunteering at Kennedy-Longfellow School in the 2023-2024 school year to support the third-grade Sheltered English Immersion classroom. This school year Stephanie volunteers in three classrooms with second-, third- and fourth-grade students, spending fourteen hours a week at K-Lo. When asked, she is always willing to step up to support teachers and students.

Tori has been a Reading Buddy at Fletcher Maynard Academy since the 2018-2019 school year and a NetPal at the Cambridge Street Upper School since the 2019-2020 school year. She also served as the BioNTech/Neon Therapeutics NetPals Coordinator for two years. She stands out as a volunteer because she chooses to read and work with students in the substantially separate SCALE (Social, Communication, Academic and Life Skills Education) classrooms at both the elementary- and upper-school levels. Tori always goes above and beyond in her role as a volunteer. Her friendly and cheerful presence is always a pleasure to be around for both students and CSV staff!

Julie and Maggie, CRLS juniors, have revitalized CSV's peer tutor program! CSV has had a peer-tutoring program for many years, but participation dropped precipitously after the COVID disruption and when a change to the CRLS dismissal time made it difficult for high-school students to get to afterschool programs elsewhere in the district. This year, 44 CRLS students are working with students of all ages, providing younger students with role models and CSV with a welcome influx of new volunteers. We hope to continue to develop this program and are grateful to Julie and Maggie's initiative and persistence for getting it going again!

Rose Hanig signed up for Reading Buddies last year. Rose had four times the impact of a typical volunteer because as soon as she signed up she started recruiting her friends and family. Every week Rose, Esther, Sybil and Bess arrive at Fletcher Maynard Academy together. They enter the school full of good cheer and a shared passion for reading to young children. Thank you all for embodying a different model of what volunteering can look like and for sharing a strong commitment to your community. If you are a community volunteer, invite your friends to join you! Volunteering is fun and even more rewarding when you do it with people you care about.

A big shout out once again to our amazing event sponsors this year! We appreciate their support for our programs and volunteers.