I serve as the Volunteer Coordinator at Lake Avenue Community Foundation (LACF) and realized I should volunteer as a tutor myself to see what the experience is like for our tutors. One year I had the privilege to tutor a group of young middle school girls. One of the girls was really struggling with her academics. She was probably a couple grade levels behind and the homework was incredibly frustrating for her and myself. I felt inadequate and ill-equipped to be able to help her, but as the weeks went on I realized that what was happening between us was much deeper than doing homework. She would have a huge smile and give me an enthusiastic hug when she saw me, and my soul would brighten no matter how good or bad my day had been before that moment. While I was fighting to break through academically with her, I was learning how to love in a new way. By simply giving her one hour of my time each week, she was encouraged and felt cared for by me. In turn, I was encouraged by her enormous heart. I came in as a tutor hoping to help a student get better grades, but what I got out of it was much more than that. I experienced God’s love in a new way as the two of us, who are so different from each other, worked together.
When I think about all of the students with whom I have had the opportunity to work, they have all enriched my life. Some didn’t need my help with homework, others didn’t want it and others couldn’t get enough. No matter what their situation, every single one of them taught me something essential about myself and God as I got to know them and lived a little bit of life with them. For this I am extremely grateful.
Want to be a tutor starting at just one hour per week? LACF has a need for many more tutors from 1st through 12th grades. Visit www.lakeavefoundation.org or contact Beth at or 626.817.4507 for more information.
What STARS Taught Me
