Read with a child - change a life!
Join us for October information sessions about becoming a volunteer tutor in Tempe elementary schools
Oct. 13, 2022
Tempe, AZ - Looking for a great volunteer opportunity? Consider tutoring young school children who struggle with reading through the city’s AARP Foundation Experience Corps program. Volunteers don't need special skills, just a willingness to share their experience, time and patience.

Upcoming in-person information sessions are planned Oct. 18 and 27 and Nov. 9 and 17, from 9:30-10:30 a.m. in the Cypress Room (formally lower level program room B) of the Tempe Public Library, 3500 S. Rural Road.

Interested volunteers only need to attend one information session; no registration required. Come learn about volunteering with the City of Tempe, our partnership with AARP Foundation and the impact tutors make in the lives of Tempe students.

"We have grown from nine schools last year to 14 this year. In January, we will be adding our 15th school," said Nicole Burner, the city's Experience Corps coordinator. "Our need for volunteer tutors has never been greater."

Last school year, 50 tutors served more than 160 students with in-person and virtual tutoring. They donated more than 1,500 hours of time helping students boost their reading skills.

Tutors often relay how rewarding the experience is for them. Said one recent volunteer, "I wasn’t expecting a connection to develop so quickly, but I’m already noticing how much this student has grown in three weeks and I don’t want to see her go."

Learn more about volunteering

Experience Corps volunteers receive comprehensive training and support services

Volunteers commit to approximately five hours per week September to May

Each tutor is assigned to four students and meets individually with them for 30 minutes twice weekly during school hours

Volunteers must undergo background checks, including fingerprinting, and 15 hours of pre-service training