Riverside's Volunteers Fill a Need in the Classroom

in Menomonee Falls is home to a vibrant and growing program where seniors and high school student tutors team up to give students needed individual attention.

With school budgets shrinking every year, the important role played by volunteers in Riverside’s Retired & Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) grows. But these senior and student volunteers play much more than an educational role, they also forge unique bonds with the students they help.

RSVP is sponsored through Interfaith Senior Programs, and it connects interested senior volunteers (age 55+) with classrooms in Waukesha County Schools. 

Volunteers at Riverside serve a variety of roles in the classroom.  Some volunteers come to work with classes, where they help students with reading and math one on one or in small groups.  Nearly 30 senior volunteers help in 17 classrooms at Riverside. They give 40 hours their time each week collectively.  Riverside Elementary School has 382 students, and each of them benefit during the school year from having volunteers in the classrooms.

The Menomonee Falls School Board recognized  RSVP volunteers, both senior citizens and high school students, at their board meeting earlier in April. A party was held in their honor in Village Hall prior to the meeting.

Bill Gay, a senior volunteer in kindergarten and second-grade classrooms enjoys the rewards of working with the students.

“The kids love the attention, they are always begging us to work with them.  You can see how much they like another adult listening to, caring about, and assisting them,” Gay said.

When Gay started volunteering at Riverside after he retired 10 years ago he said there were often five adults in the kindergarten classroom.  Now, because of budget cuts, there is only the teacher, who may have a volunteer helping out.  Having volunteers in the classroom helps the students get the individual attention that some of them need.

“There’s a real need in schools because of so many aides being let go and classes becoming larger.  Some kids come to kindergarten ready to read, and others don’t know their letters yet.  This is an opportunity for volunteers to work with students who need extra help,” said Susanne Gay, Bill Gay’s wife, who has been volunteering at Riverside since 2005 in kindergarten, second- and fourth-grade classrooms.

“You must love kids to be a volunteer, but you do not need a teaching background.  The teachers at Riverside are really adept at matching volunteer’s skills to kid’s needs,” Bill Gay said.

Susan Hjelsand, the Interfaith RSVP Seniors & Students Volunteer Coordinator at Riverside, appreciates what the senior volunteers offer the students.

“Some of the kids don’t have grandmas or grandpas living close by, or who are regularly available to touch base and see how things are going.  Time with the seniors gives them a foundation that some of them aren’t lucky enough to have locally.  It gives the students a perspective of how things used to be and core values from the past,” Hjelsand said.

Plans to expand pen pal program next year

Riverside is looking to exponentially expand their RSVP volunteer program next year.  This year one classroom has done a Pen Pal program where students and seniors (55+) exchange a letter or a postcard one time per month. 

“This program helps students practice letter-writing and language skills while developing a great relationship with a senior citizen,” said Hjelsand, “at the end of the school year there will be a pen pal party where they meet in person.”

Seven more classrooms want to start the Pen Pal program next year, so Riverside needs another 190 volunteers to exchange letters with the students.

“It is a great opportunity for snowbirds who travel, because a postcard is a wonderful thing for the students to receive,” said Hjelsand.

Pen Pals can also volunteer in the classrooms.

“Seniors come into our program because they wanted to do something to give back to the community and get involved.  They enjoy children, and here they can see a child grow and know that they’re a part of helping them achieve academic success,” said Hjelsand.

To become a volunteer or a Pen Pal, contact Hjelsand, the RSVP Seniors & Students Volunteer Coordinator at (262) 250-6465 or email susanh@interfaithwaukesha.org.