“Helping at school made retirement easier and more fun for me,” said LINKS Volunteer Phyllis Platz. “And I love working with little kids and helping them learn. It is wonderful to see their progress between September and June! Just working with five and six year olds renews your outlook on life!”

You don’t have to be retired to make a huge impact in the life of a student. Just one hour a week of your time can make a difference for a struggling student. Have some time to spare? Consider becoming a LINKS Volunteer in Lake Washington School District.

With the school year well underway, school staff have started making requests for volunteers to share their time and talents with students in schools around the district. Are you ready to help?

Here are some of the opportunities available through the LINKS program:

• Become an academic mentor: Academic mentors are carefully matched with a student at the elementary, middle, or high school level. This volunteer opportunity takes place during the school day. The timeframe can vary from 30 minutes to an hour. Core classes are often the subjects students need extra help with and include math, reading, writing, and science.

• Become a Lunch Buddy: Lunch Buddies are matched with a student and they meet one day each week during the student’s lunch hour. Volunteers bring their own lunch and meet the student in a designated area. Most schools have fun games the volunteer and student can play together. They talk, laugh and have fun. Volunteers often share that it’s the best day of their week.

• Become a classroom helper: Classroom helpers usually assist in one classroom and help with several students each week. Volunteer opportunities vary depending on the needs of the students. The most common subject areas include reading, writing, math and science. Volunteers work closely with school staff to determine how their personal strengths can best be used in the classroom to benefit students.

• Become a tutor. Tutors provide academic support to one student or a group of students, typically focusing on one subject. This volunteer opportunity is held during school hours or during an after school study program in an assigned area.

Volunteers are needed throughout Kirkland, Redmond and Sammamish to help in classrooms and provide valuable support to teachers and their students. Teachers and counselors submit requests for volunteers to support students academically and socially to assist kindergarten through high school students.

Most volunteer opportunities are 45-60 minutes per week. Volunteers are asked to commit to their assignment through the end of the school year. Make a difference in a school near you by becoming a LINKS volunteer.

To learn more about LINKS volunteer opportunities, visit the LINKS page on the Lake Washington School District website. To register for an upcoming volunteer orientation, email Nanci Wehr at nwehr@lwsd.org or call 425-936-1410.

Nanci Wehr is with the Lake Washington School District’s LINKS program.