Published Thursday, May 08, 2008 1:42 PM
Updated Sunday, May 11, 2008 3:51 PM

 

Dorchester District Two volunteers treated to appreciation breakfast

Volunteers began arriving early on Thursday morning at the Adult Education Learning Center in Dorchester School District Two.

They were coming to the district volunteer appreciation breakfast held each year as a part of the celebration of National Volunteer Appreciation Week.

More than 150 community members and parents were treated to a full breakfast prepared by the district’s Food Service staff and entertained by string students from Rollings Middle School of the Arts.

Those in attendance included parents, grandparents, community senior citizens, and school business partners.

They represent more than 4,000 volunteers who work tirelessly to support the community’s schools with their time, energy, and resources.

The Public Information Office oversees the district volunteer programs and reported that from August 2007 through the end of March 2008 volunteers have logged 67,169 hours working in district schools.  The value of this donated time totals $1,260,762 (based on data from the national Independent Sector organization that placed a value of $18.77 per hour for volunteer work in 2007).

Assistant Superintendent Dr. Barbara Stroble thanked those present for giving students the precious gift of their time.  She credited school volunteer programs as a major factor in the quality school system in Dorchester District Two.

Superintendent Joe Pye commented on the value of volunteers in district schools. “Our district has been blessed for many years with the support of strong volunteer programs at every school.  Not only do these individuals give of their time freely but they develop relationships that benefit our children.  The school district could not afford to reimburse this corps of volunteers for the many hours they contribute, even if the pay scale was minimum wage," said Pye.