AISD Appreciates Its School Volunteers

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The district held its annual Appreciation VISA (Volunteers In the Schools of Aldine) Event and thanked more than 300 volunteers present for their commitment to lend a hand in making a difference in students’ lives. Dr. Wanda Bamberg, superintendent of schools, and Merlin Griggs, vice president of the Board of Trustees, each gave their thanks on behalf of the district. Additionally, a number of school principals, area superintendents, and school board members also visited with volunteers at the event celebrated on May 10 at the M.O. Campbell Educational Center.

Ben Wilson, AISD superintendent of community and governmental relations, first thanked the Aldine Council of PTAs, which works with campus-level PTAs and PTOs to promote parental involvement in AISD schools. Additionally, the Aldine Council of PTAs sponsors the annual M.B. Donaldson Scholarship Golf Tournament, which provides scholarships for graduating high school seniors. The Council also sponsors the annual Nadine Kujawa Holiday Gala, which is an event that honors and appreciates the senior citizens of the community. Serving on the Aldine Council of PTAs are Veronica Martin Perkins, Nancy Martin, Judy Hoya, John Cornett, Shirley Reed, and Ron Merriweather.

Wilson also thanked all the VISA volunteers for giving their time, energy, expertise, and in some cases resources, in an effort to help students. The program for the event noted that 50 volunteers had accumulated 1,000 or more hours over the years. Of these high-achievers, five volunteers — Juanita Honeycutt, Katherine Mason, Cheryl Knighton, Tommye Newman, and De Ann Crumbley — had accumulated more than 10,000 hours. The top five performers each received a framed certificate presented by Bamberg and Griggs.

The program also recognized 78 volunteers who over the course of the 2011-2012 school year had each accrued more than 100 volunteer hours. Hour recognitions are based on the VISA hour database system. Each campus with a VISA program has a VISA coordinator who inputs volunteer names and hours into the centralized database system.

Pictured are (l-r) Todd Davis, area superintendent of Eisenhower/Carver schools; volunteer Shirley Reed, and Principal Rosalyn Sweat of Carver Academy. Pictured at the very top of the story are (l-r) Merlin Griggs, vice president of the Board of Trustees; volunteer Tommye Newman, and Dr. Wanda Bamberg, superintendent of schools.

There are people throughout the school district working in a voluntary capacity— laminating classroom materials, acting as chaperones on school fieldtrips, serving as mentors, organizing campus festivals, coordinating fundraisers, sharing their experiences on career day, donating prizes and materials or funding, beautifying the schools, serving as reading tutors and other countless activities — all giving their time and expertise with their sole intention to help students. Currently, AISD has more than 2,500 active volunteers. Annually the work provided by volunteers saves the school district thousands if not millions of dollars. And in these tough economic times, AISD is truly grateful for everything volunteers do for the schools and students.

If you would like to become a volunteer in the schools of Aldine, contact any AISD campus to see how you can help.

Click here to view the presentation that was shown at the event.