Recruiting Mentors for Our Hyannis West Mentoring Program

Hyannis West Elementary School Mentor Program

Hyannis Supporting Our Youth, Inc. is currently recruiting new volunteers for the Hyannis West Elementary School Mentor Program. Mentors will be assigned a Kindergarten student for the 2013-2014 school year and follow that child through his or her time at Hyannis West. We ask for a commitment of one hour per week during the before care, after care or lunch hours. To learn more about the program and about upcoming information sessions please email Susan at hysoytaskforce@gmail.com or call 508-258-9111.

Hyannis Supporting Our Youth, Inc. (HySOY) works to build positive community with our youth through mentoring, homework help, early literacy, summer reading and sponsorships. For more information about mentoring or another program, please email hysoytaskforce@gmail.com or call 508-258-9111.

Summer Reading Volunteer Training

The Summer Reading program offered through Hyannis Supporting Our Youth, Inc (HySOY) begins Tuesday July 16 and runs every Tuesday at the Hyannis Public Library from 11am to 12 pm until August 13. 

 There will be a training session for interested volunteers on July 2 at 11 am at the Library in the Children's room to fill out CORI forms and go over the ropes.

As always, visit us at, hysoy.blogspot.com,  HySOY on Facebook, #HySOY on Twitter and +HySOY Task Force.

To sign up for the training email hysoytaskforce@gmail.com. 

Summer Reading Tuesdays at the Hyannis Public Library

Hyannis Supporting Our Youth, Inc. will be providing summer reading support for students in grades 3-7 on Tuesdays, July 16th to August 13th from 11am-12pm at the Hyannis Public Library in the Children's Room. 

Any students entering grades 3-7 can join in for help in reading and completing the Barnstable Public School's summer reading worksheets.

Interested in signing up a student? 

Email:

hysoytaskforce@gmail.com

Last Days of Homework Help May 22nd and May 23rd

Homework Help at the Hyannis Youth and Community Center will finish up for the year on Wednesday, May 22nd for students in the Monday/Wednesday group and Thursday, May 23rd for the Tuesday/Thursday group. Families are invited to attend for all or part of the time. We will have snacks and goodies provided and will have the students enjoy recreational activities during this time!

Program Overview

Hyannis Supporting Our Youth, Inc.

~building positive community with our youth~

hysoytaskforce@gmail.com

http://hysoy.blogspot.com

(508) 258-9111

Organization Information & Services

Mission:

To build positive community with our youth.

Overview:

Supporting Our Youth, Inc. (HySOY) is a charitable organization created from the large Greater Hyannis Civic Association’s Voices of the Village meeting in April 2011. With an active core membership, and many others willing to provide mentoring and homework assistance, the group is diverse in its strengths. Members include former or current educators and principals, pastors, business people, parents and grandparents. Each member has committed to supporting Hyannis youth through both existing programs and through the creation of new initiatives. Members have joined subcommittees (Mentoring, Homework Help, Early Literacy Initiative and Childhood Enrichment Opportunities) to work on various areas to support our youth. We currently meet every Tuesday following the Barnstable School calendar at 6pm at the Hyannis Youth and Community Center’s United Cultures Resource Room. New members and interested parties are always welcome. Please contact Moira Bundschuh, director, at hysoytaskforce@gmail.com for more information or to volunteer.

Initiatives:

MENTORING & HOMEWORK HELP

The mentoring and homework help committees support youth in the following ways:

·   Provide adult/child mentoring at Hyannis West Elementary School. Mentors begin working with students in Kindergarten and follow the students for a minimum of four years.

·   Provide free homework assistance at the Hyannis Youth and Community Center’s United Cultures Resource Room Mondays through Thursdays from 3:00-5:30pm for students in grades 3-5.

·   Promote positive interactions between Hyannis West graduates and current students.

The purpose of this committee is to empower youth to make right choices. Our goal is to help them to reach to become the best they can be, achieve their potential and discover their strengths and build their self-esteem by knowing that their community cares about them. Currently, the committees focus on the Hyannis West Elementary School mentoring program and Homework Help at the HYCC. We rely on our fantastic volunteers for both programs. Mentoring volunteers begin in the fall of each year and Homework Help volunteers are trained on an as-needed basis throughout the school year.

EARLY LITERACY INITIATIVE

Understanding the connections between early reading skills and future academic success, this committee supports two ways of promoting books with children. The early literacy initiative strives to provide books to children in the Hyannis area. We accept donations of new or like-new books from individuals and businesses on an on-going basis. Volunteers deliver books to children as well as read to students at Hyannis West Elementary School. In addition, volunteers provide summer reading support for students in grades 3 through 7 for one month during the summer at the Hyannis Public Library.

CHILDHOOD ENRICHMENT OPPORTUNITIES

The purpose of the Childhood Enrichment Opportunities (CEO) committee is to partner with individuals, businesses, organizations, and like-focused groups in identifying the community’s enrichment opportunities in the areas of education, recreation and cultural programs and to provide sponsorships to enhance the lives of the youth in Hyannis. The committee is actively recruiting camps, sports, arts and music providers to provide free, reduced-cost or donor-sponsored options for Hyannis children to attend these activities. In addition, we accept monetary donations for full or partial sponsorships from businesses and individuals. Currently, donations provided for programs at the YMCA of Cape Cod are fully tax-deductible.

To obtain a sponsorship, parents of students in one of our programs fill out a simple form and the CEO board reviews the applications and matches children to available activities with full or partial sponsorships as funds are available.

For the last two years, two organizations donated spots for students to attend their programs: Faith Assembly of God in Hyannis gave 10 weeks of Kiddie Kollege camp for students looking for a day camp experience and The Harbor Hawks Youth Baseball Academy gave six week-long spots for children interested in developing baseball skills.

Volunteer & Donation Opportunities

A variety of opportunities exist to help support youth in the Hyannis community:

Mentoring:

A dedicated relationship between a caring adult and child at Hyannis West Elementary School. A minimum four-year commitment is necessary for this program. Volunteers begin in the fall of each year.

Homework Help:

Mondays through Thursdays from 3:00-5:30pm during the school year at the Hyannis Youth and Community Center. For students in 3-7. New volunteers always welcome.

Summer Reading Program:

Provide summer reading support for students in grades 3-7 one day per week for one month in the summer at the Hyannis Public Library.

Early Literacy Initiative:

Provides new or like-new books for children in Hyannis. Volunteers provide books at Hyannis West Elementary School and the Hyannis Youth and Community Center. Donations are always welcome.

Sponsorships:

Provides full and partial sponsorships for youth to take part in extracurricular activities. Organizations can donate a space or reduced-rate membership for a child at their camp program, music, sport or art activity. Individuals and business can sponsor a child to participate in an extracurricular activity.

For more information about any of the programs, volunteer or donation opportunities, please contact Hyannis Supporting Our Youth, Inc. at hysoytaskforce@gmail.com or (508) 258-9111
or visit us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/HyannisSupportingOurYouth. 

Upcoming Meetings

April 2: Early Literacy Meeting

• Updates on Early Literacy
• Program and Vision planning for summer and fall
• Talk about Summer Reading program--continue? discontinue? leadership?

April 9: Mentor Meeting

• Updates
• End-of-the-Year Party
• Recruitment Ideas

April 16: NO MEETING--April Vacation

April 23: Homework Help Meeting

• Updates
• Plan for End-of-Year Party
• Make notices to send home about report cards/MCAS and final dates

A Quote that Supports Our Mission

In looking for a quote for a blog post I was writing for another blog, I stumbled upon this quote that epitomizes why we at Hyannis Supporting Our Youth, Inc. continue to strive to build positive community with our youth.

I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the community, and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can.
I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work, the more I live.
Life is no 'brief candle' to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for a moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on the future generations.

George Bernard Shaw

Upcoming Hyannis Supporting Our Youth, Inc Meetings

As many of you know, Hyannis Supporting Our Youth, Inc is made up of a board of directors and various committees that produce our programs. Our major initiatives are mentoring at Hyannis West, homework help at the Hyannis Youth and Community Center, early literacy initiatives (including summer reading) within Barnstable and sponsorships for students within our programs for extracurricular activities. 

We are always looking for new volunteers to help out on our board as members-at-large and are also looking for people that may want to take on an executive board member or coordinator role. 

Here are a list of upcoming meetings--all at the HYCC at 6pm unless otherwise specificied:

January 15th           Tentative Year Planning with Calendar

January 22nd          Archiving and Scrapbook Making for our 1st Two Years

January 29th           Bring grant applications and discuss what types of grants we should focus on pursuing

February 5th           General Meeting

February 12th          530pm--Large meeting to fine tune board and coordinator descriptions

February 26th          Board Member Elections

Board Positions Include:

President

Vice President

Treasurer

Clerk

Mentoring Coordinator

Homework Help Coordinator

Early Literacy Coordinator

Childhood Enrichment Opportunities Coordinator

and various members-at-large and auxiliary coordinator positions.

If you would like to nominate yourself, or someone else for a position, please email hysoytaskforce@gmail.com with the full name and position for which you are nominating. A full list of nominations will be sent out after the Feb 12th meeting.

Thanks so much,

Moira Bundschuh

Director

Homework Help New Volunteer Trainings

Hi Everyone:

We are in need of more adult volunteers on Wednesday as we have had a couple that have had to leave us. Also, some volunteers do leave during the winter months, so we will need at least 4-5 new volunteers to fill spots. We have two more students joining us on Tuesdays/Thursdays starting next week and at least two 3rd graders beginning next week as well. Meaning we will have a minimum of 12 students each day (more on Mondays/Wednesdays).

Please pass this message along to others who may wish to volunteer through May or who may be able volunteer for  a few months to get us through until some volunteers return in the spring:

Hyannis Supporting Our Youth, Inc. will hold new volunteer training for its after school Homework Help Program on Tuesday, January 8 and 22nd at 5pm at the Hyannis Youth and Community Center. People choose one day to volunteer, Mondays through Thursdays from 3-530pm following the Barnstable Public Schools calendar. If over 18, volunteers need to fill out a CORI background check form in the admin offices at the HYCC and bring a driver's license. They are open 830-330, Monday-Friday. For more information see http://hysoy.blogspot.com, email hysoytaskforce@gmail.com or call and leave a message at 508-258-9111.

Thanks,

Moira Bundschuh

Director

Hyannis Supporting Our Youth, Inc.