Facts about the Seniors & Students Program
Seniors & Students is a volunteer program designed to recruit and place volunteers age 55 and older in the Hamilton School District. Volunteers work with teachers and other staff to support student learning.
Volunteers gather for an annual kick-off meeting in October and are invited to attend other events in the winter and spring.
Program expands since inception
The Seniors & Students Program has successfully grown since it was originally implemented in the 1998-99 school year when 24 senior citizen volunteers served as reading tutors for elementary students. Today, more than 200 senior citizens are involved in the Seniors & Students Program and volunteer in a variety of ways. The program has a direct and indirect impact on more than 1,000 students.
- A number of volunteers gather with students every other week during our Senior Cafes at Lannon, Maple Avenue and Marcy elementary schools. These meetings take place during the students’ lunch period.
- The Pen Pal Project was created as a spin-off of the original program and involves senior citizens who correspond with nearly 400 Grade 4 students developing real-life writing skills.
- Senior citizen volunteers have provided numerous contributions to make the lives of students more comfortable including the donation of handknit hats and mittens and handsewn quilts.
Since its inception, the Seniors & Students Volunteer Program has contributed more than 147,325 hours of service in the Hamilton School District. This equates to more than $3 million worth of services for our students!
Resources
If you have any further questions, please contact Jeannette Choate, Seniors and Students coordinator, at (262) 246-1973 or choaje@hamilton.k12.wi.us.
