MPS recognizes volunteer tutors for labor of love in schools

MILWAUKEE -- Milwaukee Public School District volunteers are not used to the spotlight, but many of them were honored Tuesday, April 24th for their labor of love.

The tutors at Cass Street Elementary School were rewarded for the time they donated to help teach students how to read. "It's humbling because it seems to be that I give so little, but we just get reinforced so much more," Cass Street tutor Lucia Murtaugh said.

"We train individuals in the comprehensive literacy plan to help during the school day in the classrooms to bring students that are a little below grade-level reading proficiency up to grade-level," Interfaith Tutor Program Manager Samantha Garrett said.

All of the volunteers are part of Interfaith's Older Adult Program. Each tutor was given a plaque as a sign of gratitude for their work. "It's icing on the cake but the real pleasure is in working with the kids," Cass Street tutor Stan Palkowitz said.

This ceremony was part of the Milwaukee Public School District's Children's Week, which is an effort to get more community support in schools in light of recent budget cuts. "We need more volunteers in our district, and we wanted to showcase this great program. These volunteers get trained and they're coordinated so that their really helpful in the classroom," Milwaukee Teachers' Education Association President Bob Peterson said.

Although MPS hopes to recruit more tutors, the ones they already have don't plan on going anywhere. "I've been doing this for 12 years as a tutor and I keep coming back because I love doing it," Murtaugh said.

MPS plans to honor all of the tutors in the district.

Those interested in becoming a tutor at MPS through Interfaith can find more information by CLICKING HERE.