We opted to expand the program to Madrona K-8 based on the school’s need for free academic services, as well as its central location. Madrona K-8 is a small, diverse school with a high population of low-income students. Thanks to generous donations from our community and a grant from the University Rotary Club we are able to offer these tutoring services at no cost to the students or to the school.

The program will start small by working with 15 students, and will expand to include other students throughout the year. Teachers will have the opportunity to identify and refer students to the program during the first month of school. Students are selected on the basis of academics, social skills or the need for a mentor or role model.

The need for tutors has never been greater with the addition of the fifth school. Please contact Nick Slater (nslater@investinyouth.org) for more information on becoming a tutor or a substitute for the upcoming school year.

Tutor registration is now open for the 2013-2014 school year!

On May 15th, gifts made to Invest in Youth will receive a prorated match from The Seattle Foundation’s stretch fund. In order to receive the match, donations must be submitted via Invest in Youth’s dedicated page on The Seattle Foundation’s website (click the button below to visit this page).

So, raise your hand and join our commitment to make sure struggling Seattle elementary school students have the support and resources needed to enhance their academic abilities, self-confidence and life prospects. Just like our students, BIG or little, everything and EVERYONE counts!!

Join us in welcoming Alison Allen, Invest in Youth’s new Program Director! Alison brings extensive tutoring program experience to our organization and we are excited to have her on the IIY team. Alison looks forward to working directly with Invest in Youth tutors, students, and school administrators. “I am thrilled to be a part of Invest in Youth and look forward to working with a team that shares my passion for education. I look forward to meeting everyone in the coming weeks” shares Alison. Alison has already started organizing our end of year tutoring activities and will quickly jump in to our recruitment efforts for next year.

In addition to an exciting day on the course, the post-tournament festivities were attended by more than 165 golfers & guests for our BBQ dinner program and silent wine auction.  Thanks to our generous contributors, at the end of the night, we had netted nearly $40,000 to support our tutoring efforts in the Seattle community.   As tournament director, while I was pleased to see another event go off without a hitch, I was very proud to see how we were able to bring together so many familiar faces from the greater Seattle Investment community to rally around, and contribute so generously to our cause!  I’d like to extend a heartfelt thank you to all of our golfers, sponsors, donors & volunteers, and if you missed this year’s event, keep an eye out for the announcement of next year’s golf classic, to be held in August of 2013.

Thanks again to our sponsors:

Valedictorian – $5000

• D.A. Davidson & Co.
• McAdams Wright Ragen
• Principal Financial Group

Honor roll – $2500

• Brighton Jones, LLC
• Seattle Security Traders Association

Dean’s list – $1500

• Blue Rooster
• Gretchen’s Shoebox Express
• The Hartford Mutual Funds
• Lesa Sroufe & Matt Barnes
• Merrill Lynch
• Morgan Stanley Smith Barney
• Natixis Global Asset Management
• Seattle-Northwest Securities Corporation
• Summit Capital

Casey McFarland | Golf Committee Chair

Invest in Youth is pleased to welcome many returning tutors as well as many new faces to its volunteer-driven afterschool tutoring program for the 2012-2013 school year. Tutors kicked-off the year with orientation sessions at each of our four partner schools over the last few weeks. In addition to learning some of the basics about the material they are likely to encounter with their students during the year, tutors each had the opportunity to become “experts” on an educational game. Invest in Youth tutors can serve as a valuable resource not only for their student, but to other tutors in the program during the year.

For more photos of this great group of tutors at orientation please see our album on the Invest in Youth Facebook page.

Become a tutor!

We still have a number of students waiting to join Invest in Youth’s tutoring program at Roxhill and Daniel Bagley Elementary Schools. If you are interested in becoming a tutor this year, please contact Program Director Meredith Barrett at 206-316-6356 or email mbarrett@investinyouth.org for more information.

Sylvia has been a dedicated advocate and volunteer for Invest in Youth for many years. In 2005, as the organization’s program manager she was responsible for establishing Invest in Youth’s program at Beacon Hill International School. Sylvia also started Invest in Youth’s wildly popular summer camp program for graduating fifth graders, first at the YMCA and then at IslandWood on Bainbridge Island. Since 2008, when she transitioned leadership of Invest in Youth’s program at Beacon Hill to Judy Eng, Sylvia has also been a participant in the program, tutoring several wonderful students on a weekly basis during the school year. Because of her outstanding contributions, Sylvia was chosen as BHIS’s December Volunteer of the Month. Thank you, Sylvia!

Michael Levin has been working with his student, Nadine, at Beacon Hill International School for the past two years. He enjoyed the experience so much that he decided to increase his involvement at the school and this year, he has also been volunteering with the afterschool sports program alongside Mr. Campbell, the school’s physical education teacher! Michael’s contributions to the students at BHIS and his contageous enthusiasm made him a natural choice as BHIS’s Volunteer of the Month in February. Great work, Michael!

Over the course of three days, Invest in Youth staff members, school liaisons, tutors and 81 Invest in Youth students participated in a hands-on, experiential lesson that examined the connections between People and Plants of the Pacific Northwest.

Over lunch, students were able to connect with tutors and meet students from other Invest in Youth schools. Tutors were incredibly helpful and supportive in keeping students together and engaged (and students did the same for tutors!).

At noon, class began and students set out in groups to follow an Arboretum instructor into the interior of the park. They explored the texture of the variety of native trees and considered what different uses they served for indigenous people. They played active games that demonstrated the challenges of survival without today’s technologies and learned about the role and significance of teamwork for native people. They learned about different edible plants that sustained tribes for hundreds of years and different medical remedies that could be found in plants growing in our very own Pacific Northwest backyard. The instructors were enthusiastic, knowledgeable and showcased the talents and skills of our superstar students.

The efforts and commitment that each of our dedicated tutors have given to the scope of our programming and the support of our students is what ultimately allowed this to be such a fabulous and positive experience. An extra thank you to those volunteers who were able to join us for the fun! Looking forward to next year’s adventure!

Beginning in 2004, Jaylyn worked with IIY tutor John Morton during his 4th and 5th grade school years. The pair have kept in touch and Jaylyn’s mother recently shared the good news by passing along his acceptance letter. It takes a team: parent, tutor and the community. Congratulations to Jaylyn for his hard work and determination!

Jaylyn and John - 2004

Jaylyn & John - 2012

Event details

Field trips will be held on the following dates:

• Wednesday, May 30^th – Daniel Bagley and Thurgood Marshall students & tutors
• Thursday, May 31^st – Beacon Hill and Bailey Gatzert students & tutors

Both gatherings will be at the UW Botanic Gardens at the Arboretum from 11:00-1:30. Box lunches will be provided for all registered tutors and students and we plan to eat from 11:00-11:45. The Native Plants and People class will run from 12:00-1:30pm.

IIY will bus students from schools. Tutors are welcome to join students on the bus or can meet the group at the Arboretum at 11:00. An evite with confirmation information will go out in early May, in the meantime, if you have any questions, please contact Meredith Barrett at mbarrett@investinyouth.org.

On an oh-so typical blustery and wet March afternoon, I met with long-time tutor and board member Mona Delgado to gain insights about her experiences as a board member, as a 10 year tutor at multiple school sites, and as an integral participant in our first Annual Golf Classic which was held last summer. By way of background, Mona has tutored with IIY for ten years, works at D.A. Davidson, has volunteered with various service organizations, and raises parrots in her West Seattle home. Here’s what I found out during our conversation:

Meredith: When did you first become involved with IIY and how many students have you worked with?
Mona: Ten years ago. One girl I had for 3 years at Bagley from 3^rd through 5^th grade. Last year I was at two schools – Thurgood Marshall and BHIS. In total I think I’ve worked with about a dozen students. This year I decided to go to Gatzert and I’ve also picked up a student at Roxbury Elementary, which is a different program from Invest in Youth.

Meredith: How did you become involved?
Mona: Harriett Morton, IIY Founder, was visiting brokerage offices to pitch the program and after I listened to her, I thought – this is something I want to do. At the time, I was involved in another community service program which was training my parrots for flight and teaching them to do tricks which I then shared with residents of nursing homes. The residents were also allowed to hold my birds. I’ve always been interested in community service with children so when Harriett spoke about IIY I knew this was the right program for me.  And the firm was supportive.

Meredith: Why do you continue to volunteer with IIY?
Mona: I’m having fun with it! I like the people in the organization- I have a lot of respect for Harriett and enjoy working with the program staff, the kids and the other volunteers. It’s just the right place on so many levels.

Meredith: What is your favorite role with IIY?
Mona: Tutoring. I like being a tutor. I like the kids.

Meredith: What would you tell a prospective tutor about volunteering with IIY?
Mona: I would tell them to have patience. And I would tell them that they might not always see the benefit of their work. It might not even happen the year that they are working with their student. They may not see it but it’s there. It’s like any kind of nurturing relationship, it’s often not about seeing the outcomes immediately, but it’s there and you are giving a child an opportunity to grow.

Meredith: What has been your most challenging experience so far?
Mona:  When the student shuts down. So bringing the child back is the challenge. And that can look different for different kids. Sometimes I have to rely on program staff or the teacher to help me. I’ve learned a lot from my birds and why it’s imperative that I reinforce good behaviors and ignore bad ones. If you punish a bird, it will fly away.

Meredith: Any last words?
Mona: This is so good for people in the financial  industry because it keeps us grounded in  reality. You’re doing something important that improves the  community. I really believe that all professional people should be involved.