Chairman’s Corner
Summer, 2011

Dear Invest in Youth tutors and supporters,

This fall Invest in Youth will begin its fifteenth school year matching local professionals with elementary school students for weekly tutoring and mentoring sessions.  In addition to being an important anniversary year for Invest in Youth, 2011 also marks the beginning of a new chapter for the organization.

This past year, Invest in Youth hired its first part-time Executive Director to replace Harriett Morton, our inspirational Founder, who had filled this role on a de facto, volunteer basis since the programs inception. During these early years and up to the present, Harriett tirelessly managed much of the day-to-day operations of this no-longer-small program.  In February, the board was able to relieve Harriett of some of this burden when we welcomed Courtney Jones-Vanderleest to Invest in Youth as our new part-time Executive Director. In just a few months, Courtney has deftly mastered our many administrative efforts and volunteer activites, while also providing support to each of our schools Program Managers. We hope that this transition, several years in the making, will provide consistency and continuity for our students, tutors, program managers, principals and parents – all of whom contribute time and support to our tutoring program each week.

Another change for Invest in Youth was our Founder, Harriett Morton, stepping down as Board Chairman. Harriett will remain deeply involved with the organization and currently leads our   fundraising efforts.  As I assume the role of Chairman, I am both deeply honored and humbled to have been chosen to lead the Board through this exciting time.  As the Board and I work together to ensure that Invest in Youth continues into the future, these changes represent the first a vital steps for the organization to become an independent, sustainable entity.

I joined Invest in Youth as a tutor in 2004, shortly after moving to Seattle.  It was a great way to develop roots in the community, while also building a professional network with other tutors.  Over the years, I have tutored at four very different Seattle elementary schools and worked with several delightful and eager-to-learn students.  Over the last two years at Beacon Hill International School, I worked with the same student, allowing a longer-term mentoring relationship to develop.  Watching my student’s academic progress and her determination to succeed and grow during our time together was nothing short of powerful.  I know many Invest in Youth tutors have shared this same experience.

Wanting to become more involved with the program, I joined Invest in Youth’s Board of Directors in 2008. It became clear just how much behind-the-scenes work it takes to keep this seemingly simple program chugging along so smoothly.  I have been privileged to work with and learn from such a talented and dedicated group of fellow Board members.  I look forward to working with them to shape the organization’s future!

With the benefit of a strengthened infrastructure, the 2011-2012 school year promises to be an exciting one for Invest in Youth. Demand for new tutors at each of our four partner schools continues to increase and we hope to fill this need by starting the year with at least 100 tutors, up from approximately 85 last year.  We continue to enhance our curriculum and tutor tools to support our students’ learning, and the evaluation process we developed two years ago is helping shape this effort. We will kick off the fall with our first Invest in Youth Golf Classic on Thursday, September 15^th—it promises to be a fun afternoon for IIY supporters new and old to come together in support of this great program.  If you haven’t already, I encourage you to register for this event right away as spaces for both golfers and the banquet are filling up fast!

While much has certainly changed since Harriett tutored a single student at Bailey Gatzert Elementary School on her way home from work—much has remained the same.  At our core, Invest in Youth remains committed to its mission to enhance the academic abilities, self-confidence and life prospects of struggling learners in the Seattle Public Schools.  As well, the desire to provide a meaningful and rewarding experience for our volunteer tutors continues to be a driving force behind all that we do.  We hope you will join us in these efforts by investing your time, your talents and your dollars this fall!

Best,

Sara E. Hasan
Chairman, Invest in Youth

Nora Tabler, Communications Chair

This was one of my harder interviews. Rebecca Sosinski has been the Invest in Youth (IIY) Program Director since September, 2007 and her last day with IIY is June 30. She will be sorely missed by all who have come into contact with her. Her decision to leave was not easy, but giving birth to Evelyn last year gave Rebecca clear signals that continuing to work and be a full time Mom was a bit more then she bargained for.

I asked her to share her perspective of the IIY program from 2007 to now.

What was appealing about the IIY job and what did the organization look like when you started in 2007?

First the search: Rebecca was looking for some type of educational work after moving to Seattle from Chicago as a newlywed. She and her husband lived in a condo in Federal Way and Rebecca spent most of her first summer in Washington searching for teaching jobs and making friends with the cashiers at QFC! In August she learned that her teaching license from Illinois wouldn’t transfer and that she’d be required to take additional coursework, even with a Masters in Education from Northwestern University. She realized this was her opportunity to explore new avenues in the field of education and consider something other then the 14 hour days she had teaching in an inner city school in Chicago. She focused on part time job postings, thinking this type of schedule would give her time to create a new life in Washington. She did not have to search for long, as she found Invest in Youth and was hired as the new part-time Program Director replacing the very efficient and well organized Heidi. September came quickly and she was thrown into the first chaotic weeks of school meeting students, teachers and tutors. Her first priority was to begin grassroots training for the tutors and to “build those relationships.” There had been turnover in the Program Director position so establishing stability and consistency for everyone involved was important. She quickly established the habit of arriving early and staying late so she could chat with the tutors and learn more about their experiences, pro and con, with tutoring. She also enjoyed making connections with tutors to help build her community in Seattle.

How has the program changed since you started?

Rebecca believes the program has gone from good to excellent and in that process has garnered more respect from donors, tutors, teachers, parents and students. Every aspect of the program has become more professional with more peer recognition for good work. A large grant came in which provided a huge infusion of cash to help IIY “taste” the next level of how other non profits operate. IIY started to ask for more from its partner schools, i.e,, the principals had to be “on board” and so did the teachers. If this became a problem, then another school was selected. More help was asked of IIY Board members and Rebecca asked for more opportunities to give input to the Board. All of this helped strengthen the mission and purpose of the organization in achieving its work through a team effort.

What was the most satisfying aspect of your job?

Working with the tutors and getting the large grant infused her with new energy and focus for her work.

What do you see or want for the future of IIY?

She would love to see a system developed to “follow” some of the students. She hopes resources keep coming in to help the organization continue to reach its goals. She hopes the current staff will stay for many years to reduce the ‘turnover” effect. She would like to see a functioning “substitute” list with on-line support so tutors can find their own substitute when they are unable to tutor.

What are the program’s biggest challenges?

One of the biggest challenges is determining why the tutor list has gone from 95 to 75. Although she can’t prove it she thinks it may be due to two things:

• The economy – people are unwilling to leave work early to tutor or circumstances at work, such as role changes, have required them to have longer days
• Family priorities – Many tutors who have been with the program for 8-9 years have married and are having families so priorities have shifted from volunteering to the home front.

Other challenges include language barriers, principal turnover, parent communication and a way to expand the tutor recruitment pool. On this last challenge, she opines that the “most successful tutor recruitment is done by other tutors”.

In closing, Rebecca said that leaving IIY was one of the hardest things she has done as a professional. She loved the program and people and feels very good about her replacement, Meredith Barrett, and the new ED, Courtney Jones-Vanderleest. With their combined leadership and dedication, she sees a bright future for Invest in Youth. We will all miss you Rebecca – stay in touch!

Invest in Youth hires Executive Director
by Nora Tabler, Communications Committee Chair

Meet Courtney Jones-Vanderleest, Invest in Youth’s(IIY) part-time Executive Director who began work in late February. A recent arrival from Tucson, AZ (yes, she likes our clouds and rain), Courtney brings a wide variety of professional and educational experience to our tutoring program. She recently served as Program Director for a large Community Center in Tucson where she experienced firsthand the negative effects the national financial crisis was having on non-profit budgets. She quickly learned that key ingredients for financial survival involved broadening your funding base while at the same time being nimble as an organization. Prior to this position, Courtney worked for 18 years with youth programs as camp counselor, after school tutor, residential youth manager and community center coordinator. Her passion, simply stated, is to develop sustainable nonprofits that serve youth in need.

I asked Courtney a few questions….

What is a typical day as ED like?
I’m up early and immediately start working remotely on emails and reviewing the many files that have been passed on to me. During my first weeks with IIY, I visited the four schools where we offer tutoring and met many of our tutors, principals, and Invest in Youth school liaisons, which comprise our organizational team. Currently, my primary focus is to attend each of the board committee meetings and research potential grant opportunities. In addition to weekly staff meetings, I’m hoping to connect with community supporters who have helped make Invest in Youth a viable tutoring program for the past 14 years.

What brought you to this work?
I was intrigued by the challenge presented by IIY as it transitions from a grassroots
program led by an inspirational founder to a stand alone non profit with two paid part-time staff. When I saw how strong and committed the Board and Founder were to IIY’s work and mission, I was excited to be selected for this wonderful opportunity to take this organization to the next level.

What’s been most challenging in the job to date?
Due to ongoing help from IIY’s board members who assist with many of the daily organizational tasks, I have taken some time to figure out exactly how Invest in Youth’s first paid Executive Director fits into the puzzle. Certainly, during this time of transition, we have the ability to reevaluate what has worked well over the years as well as implement new ideas for the organization. As we complete our first year as an independent non-profit, (separate from the umbrella organization Alliance for Education) I will identify the areas that we need to strengthen and work with board members and staff to implement these needed processes. Harriett has been a fantastic resource and guide for me and I am delighted that IIY will continue to have her, the organization’s founder, involved at the board level.

What’s been most rewarding in the job to date?
By far the most rewarding experience since I arrived has been visiting the schools and witnessing the students’ excitement as their tutors arrive and they start working together. I was able to fill in for Program Director, Meredith Barrett, at Bailey Gatzert last week where I also tutored one of our students. It was great to experience first-hand the impact our program has on both the student and the tutor.

What’s your #1 goal for 2011?
I would like to establish lines of communication and processes with board committees, continue to define organizational systems and help secure a sound financial base. My long term vision is to continue working to establish IIY as a credible, growing non profit that is committed to tutoring at-risk youth while providing a rewarding experience for our volunteer tutors.

When Courtney is not working she spends time with her partner, Jennifer, who is a Family Medicine physician for Seattle-King County Public Health. Courtney and Jennifer are busy settling into the Northwest life by exploring Seattle’s many parks with their fabulous daughter Keegan. Also on their “to-do” list is to decide which of the many wonderful neighborhoods they will call home.