Community Corner
Buena Vista Auxiliary Celebrates 20 Years of Helping Local Elementary Students Learn to Read
The women of Buena Vista Auxiliary of Assistance League® of Diablo Valley are celebrating major milestones: 25 years since the founding of the auxiliary and 20 years of helping local struggling readers develop into confident, successful students.
Assistance League® of Diablo Valley is a volunteer organization, based in Walnut Creek, which helps the community through its eight major philanthropic programs. One part of the organization is the Buena Vista Auxiliary, which runs the Buena Vista Tutorial Program, an early intervention program for elementary school students in Contra Costa County. Since 1993, the organization has raised over $1.4 million and provided over 32,000 hours of tutoring and 12,050 books to more than 4,000 participants. They have received an Outstanding Service Award from the Mount Diablo Unified School District.
“The Buena Vista Tutorial Program has proven to improve reading mastery for our struggling students,” said Nancy Weatherford, Principal of Indian Valley Elementary in Walnut Creek.
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Under the Buena Vista Tutorial Program, around 250 local children reading below grade level are supported annually with a customized curriculum, a low student to tutor ratio (2:1) and a credentialed teacher at no cost to the schools or families. As a direct result of this program, 97% of participating children show significant improvement in their reading skills, self-confidence and self esteem. This program is currently active in eleven elementary schools in the Mt. Diablo and Walnut Creek Unified School Districts.
“BVA tutoring really helped my son’s confidence,” said Charlie Verhoeven, a parent at Pleasant Hill Elementary. “Homework used to be a battle, but now he is excited for it. And he reads to his three younger brothers!”
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BVA members are professionals, mothers, entrepreneurs and educators dedicated to improving children’s literacy. They live throughout Contra Costa County, from Walnut Creek and Lamorinda to Danville, Alamo and Pleasant Hill. The public is invited to join BVA in making a difference for kids by attending the annual A Toast to Tutoring wine tasting and dinner auction event on March 14, 2014.
For more information, please email aldv@sbcglobal.net or visit our website at www.diablovalley.assistanceleague.org.
