Partnership in Eduction
For the past five years, the Synagogue has invested substantially in a flagship program of social service at McCLure Elementary, a low-income school in the 61st Street corridor. Two full-time members of the Synagogue's own professional staff direct a multi-pronged program involving over a hundred volunteers and growing. Our aim is to further the growth and development of the "community school" model which sees local elementary schools as community centers and hubs for the delivery of necessary social services.
During the upcoming school year, we'll provide emergency assistance, parenting classes, food and clothing to needy students and their families, translation services, information and referrals on immigration law, classes in English as a second language, and a summer camping program.
At the heart of this undertaking is a best-practices mentoring project which pairs students and volunteers in long term relatioships beginning in third grade. Mentors regularly tell us that this program is one of the most fulfilling responsibilities they have ever assumed. The Synagogue Mentoring Project at McClure has been widely recognized as a standard of excellence, and we are regularly contacted by congregations and other groups in Tulsa eager to set up similar programs.
There's room in the McClure Project for many kinds of of volunteers, including administative aides, companions, mentors, para-librarians, gardeners, etc. Please call Sherri Abramowitz, Director of Community Development, at 583-7121 if you would like to explore your options.
