The AT&T Foundation recently granted $8,500 to the Lake Washington Schools Foundation for LINKS (Looking Into the Needs of Kids and Schools), the volunteer mentoring program of the Lake Washington School District.
Established in 2005, the Lake Washington Schools Foundation supports academic excellence and success for all students in the district. The LINKS program focuses on placing caring adults from the community with students needing academic and emotional support during the school day. The grant will allow LINKS to expand its recruitment and placement of mentors in schools through the Lake Washington School District.
Local AT&T executive, Dan Youmans, Director of AT&T’s External Affairs, presented the check and stated, “Mentoring plays a key role in helping our youth prepare to succeed in life. As a major corporation, we are concerned from a workplace perspective on how we will be able to compete in the global economy in the future.”
LINKS mentors offer guidance and encouragement and enhance the academic, social and emotional development of students of all ages in the district. Specific programs are being developed for primary and secondary levels of education to accommodate the growing needs for continuous educational support.
To become a LINKS volunteer, community volunteers are asked to dedicate one hour per week. Opportunities include classroom assistance working one-on-one with students or group tutoring, elementary lunch buddies and academic mentors to students needing extra assistance.
All LINKS applicants must complete a Lake Washington School District Application and background check and be approved prior to becoming a LINKS volunteer. A training and orientation sessions are held regularly at the L.E. Scarr Resource Center, located at 16520 N.E. 74th Street, Redmond.
For more information, contact Nanci Wehr, Program Coordinator, at links@lwsd.org or by calling 425-702-3410.
