Volunteers are needed to help tutor students enrolled at Lee County’s PACE Center for Girls.
Debra Webb, executive director of PACE, said volunteer tutors are needed for reading, mathematics and English. The center also needs volunteers to help organize and clean up after lunch service.
“They have to have an interest in helping the girls, someone who can help them with the subject areas where they might be behind,” she said.
PACE is a statewide nonprofit organization that helps at-risk girls, ages 12-18, by preventing them from dropping out, getting pregnant, developing substance abuse problems or entering the juvenile justice system. Unlike traditional schools in the Lee County School District, PACE is open all year long.
“Our girls receive individualized instruction and counseling throughout the entire year to help them excel and advance in their school work,” Webb said.
There are currently 51 girls enrolled at PACE this summer and, according to Webb, many of the girls are two to three years academically behind their grade level. The volunteer tutors are needed year-round.
“If they can come for just an hour, once or twice a week, that would be very helpful,” she said.
Volunteers are also needed to help with the center’s lunch service. Food is provided by the Lee County School District and the center needs help to serve and clean up after the girls. Webb said the students do much of their own lunch service, but having the volunteers would allow the girls to focus more on their studies.
The center also hopes that local businesses will allow employees to take time during their lunch hour to volunteer at PACE, according to a prepared statement.
Volunteers are needed at the center on Schoolhouse Road in Fort Myers for three to five hours per week, between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m.
For information about volunteering, contact Elizabeth at 425-2366, ext. 24.