Tonight will be another night for ESL at Meadowbrook and though I rarely have a chance to go, I was able to attend last Tuesday. It was great to see all the volunteers – especially the teens including Kara Chambers (featured in an earlier blog), her brother Chris, and also Jacqui. They showed a lot of excitement and joy and it seemed contagious to everyone.
Meadowbrook has been wonderful in helping provide all sorts of donations for many of ESL’s low-income families. But the help has extended beyond that. Melissa, a 9 year old girl who is very good friends with my daughter, has been a regular on Tuesdays as her parents try to learn more English. Knowing ESL provides tutoring for the children’s homework, I asked her how she’s doing. She was excited to tell me that she is improving in math and has become a “scout”, getting certain privileges at school for improving her grades. This coming from a girl who constantly complained she hated that particular subject and struggled at first. No doubt the tutoring from ESL has been a big part in helping her improve. Also, Melissa’s favorite subject is art and apparently she also has been mentored in that area by someone who isn’t a volunteer at ESL. Bob (a regular tutor) and his wife Karen, have opened their home to Melissa and her family. Karen has informally become her art mentor and has her excited and focused on the subject she really loves. These are all examples of how the community is connecting to one another and helping impact people’s lives no matter how small it seems. Many of the families don’t get the chance to say thank you in person to all those who directly or indirectly donated their time and goods, but they are appreciative of the help received.
Emilie tutoring during ESL night
