Eastport United Methodist Church - Homework and Reading Program

Description

Participants meet twice a week: Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4 to 5 p.m. at Eastport United Methodist Church. Volunteers are not expected to attend all sessions. They can come as often as their schedules allow. The program operates like a "one room schoolhouse". Volunteers are not assigned to any particular child, so participants have maximum flexibility in terms of attendance.

The program began in 2007 with two volunteers and two children. It has grown. During the 2017-2018 academic year, there were 69 Homework sessions serving 25 children. There were 21 "regular" participants -- children who often attended. The average (mean) number of children was 13; the median number was 12. On average, five or six volunteers were on hand to assist the kids.

The program was inducted in the Volunteer Project Hall of Fame of the Volunteer Center for Anne Arundel County in 2011. The church received gifts totaling $65,000 to initiate a Neighborhood Children Education Fund, which is designed to provide an annual stream of money to support educational programs, activities and scholarships to enhance the learning and school endeavors of neighborhood children and especially those participating in the Homework and Reading Program.