After-school program looking for volunteers

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OGDEN — Among the offerings by Give Me a Chance in Ogden is an after-school program that serves students in kindergarten through sixth grade. This program, which is open Monday through Thursday, runs thanks to the help of volunteers and tutors who help the children reach their grade level in reading and math skills, and also share their knowledge of science, music and computers, among other interests.

Give Me A Chance, a nonprofit organization, was founded in 2010 by Daughter of Charity Sister Maria Nguyen as a way for low-income women to achieve self-sufficiency. GMAC teaches skills such as sewing and computer literacy to low-income women to enable them to obtain better jobs. It also provides art classes for all ages and an after-school program for children.

Volunteer teachers in the areas of art and English as a Second Language are being sought for the after-school program, which relies on these people “to provide tutoring and enrichment programs for the children,” said Daughter of Charity Sister Marie Rachelle Cruz, who oversees the program.

“The tutors are committed to the academic growth and development of each child they assist. The enrichment activities provide time for art, sports, craft projects, music opportunities for the children,” she added.

The children’s skills were on display during the recent blessing of the Nativity scene, where they played their musical instruments and sang Christmas songs.

“Also, we had a Christmas pageant with a live manger scene made up of the children; they sang and played musical instruments as well,” Sr.  Rachelle Cruz said. “We have a volunteer music teacher as well as an enrichment activity teacher weekly.”

Although many of the current volunteers for the after-school program are retired teachers, people in other careers also can make an impact on the children who are the future, she said.

“Each volunteer prospect goes through an interview process and orientation, as well as the training for safeguarding and protecting children,” Sr. Rachelle Cruz said.

In addition to volunteers for the after-school program, “We have also received some queries from the parishes around the area for ESL classes,” Sr.  Rachelle Cruz said.

For information, visit www.givemeachanceutah.org.