A group of volunteers in the Ozarks is helping people move forward in life. Michele Skalicky has more.
The volunteers serve as tutors for people preparing for the high school equivalency test in classes offered at Ozarks Technical Community College’s Adult Education and Literacy College. They also help students in OTC’s English as a Second Language classes.
Ramona George, AEL’s director, said more volunteers are needed for this fall at the 14 locations her college serves.
And she said you don’t have to have any special skills or qualifications other than a high school diploma or equivalent.
"We're looking for people who have a lot of patience. We're looking for friendly individuals, obviously, to make the student feel comfortable and respected and just people who that are wanting to make a difference in somebody else's life," she said.
Harvey Hank, who tutors three days a week at OTC, described the experience as both fun and rewarding.
"The thing that really impresses me the most is that these students upstairs is they're so willing. They want to be successful, and they know that they need some help to get them over the next hurdle, and that's I think the rewarding aspect of it is you're helping somebody meet their goals--not your goals, their goals," he said.
According to Hank, if you care about people, you’re a good candidate to become an AEL volunteer.
You can find out more about volunteering with OTC’s Adult Education and Literacy College by calling Kathy Funk at 447-8865 or emailing funkk@otc.edu.
