For this month’s feature, we’d like to introduce Russell, who was the first new volunteer to join our purely-virtual tutoring program in the midst of COVID-19. Early on in the pandemic, Russell was looking for volunteer opportunities, so he decided to write a post on Facebook. “I like to give back to my community,” he says. From the post on Facebook, he received a comment from a staff member about the Catherine McAuley Center. Russell had heard of the organization from his wife and was familiar with the name. He was aware that it was a women’s center helping those who were homeless or needing shelter from domestic abuse, but he was not aware of the Center’s tutoring program. Now, Russell has been paying it forward since July by tutoring a client in English once a week.

Russell’s heart for serving his community stems back many years, to when he was on disability, and relied on help from community food banks to support his family.  He has volunteered with educational programs in the past, reading to first graders at Prairie.  With that experience, he enjoyed feeling like a grandfather figure to the children. He enjoys helping others learn, and tutoring through the Catherine McAuley Center has given him the chance to do just that.

Russell attends tutor meetings, which he says have been helpful, and there are also “office hours,” twice a week, where tutors meet to discuss different topics and create a supportive team. He says it has been helpful to hear from the staff as to what they expect from a tutor in the role, since he has never tutored before. Russell takes the responsibility seriously and wants to do his best. The tutoring program is a series of four books – his client is on book three. He has seen significant progress. Although the tutoring takes place through Zoom meetings right now, it still has been a positive experience, and a meaningful way to connect with the community.