Spring Break
ECU/Americorps services plan week of recruitment and education
Project HEART celebrates AmeriCorps week
Brian Mazurowski
Issue date: 4/22/08 Section: Features
ECU's Americorps/Project HEART is a volunteer service comprised of people from throughout the Greenville community. Project HEART is an attempt to increase literacy and the number of academically successful students in North Carolina.
Project HEART, which stands for High Expectations for At Risk Teens, is a program aimed at aiding at-risk students by developing better study habits and encouraging progressive learning.
The program's goal is to volunteer hope and to increase the number of academically successful students locally by offering assistance in studying and tutoring. The Project HEART volunteers aim to help struggling students in the local community and to encourage academic growth in North Carolina.
The project began in 2000 with 48 tutors providing services to 480 at-risk middle grade students in Edgecombe, Martin, Nash, Pitt and Wilson counties, and now serves more than 9,000 students across the state in grades 3-12.
"Project HEART aims to increase the number of students who succeed academically, reduce the dropout rate and increase the number of students who graduate from high school in four years," said Kenneth Taylor, the volunteer coordinator for Project HEART.
Project HEART is in conjunction with several different volunteer services in the community including the national volunteer service AmeriCorps, as well as local community colleges, private colleges and universities, school districts, Boys & Girls Clubs of America and other local organizations in eastern North Carolina.
AmeriCorps volunteer services will be celebrating AmeriCorps week May 11-18. AmeriCorps week is a week dedicated to recruitment and education about what the AmeriCorps volunteer service does. Greenville's Mayor Pat Dun, will be taking part in some of the activities during AmeriCoprs week.
"Mayor Pat Dunn will be 'shadowing' one of our Project HEART tutors that day at Wahl-Coats [elementary school] on May 12," said Project HEART director, Betty Beacham.
This week will offer an opportunity for AmeriCorps volunteers both past and present to shine and discuss their experiences with the program. Recently, a Project HEART Alumni Chapter has also been started at ECU, offering veterans of the program a way to stay in contact with the program and people involved.
ECU students are encouraged to take part in Project HEART and applications for the 2008-9 school year are now being accepted.
The ECU Americorps/Project HEART office is located in Ragsdale 104A. More information about the program can be found at ecu.edu/cs-educ/projectheart.
This writer can be contacted at features@theeastcarolinian.com.
Project HEART, which stands for High Expectations for At Risk Teens, is a program aimed at aiding at-risk students by developing better study habits and encouraging progressive learning.
The program's goal is to volunteer hope and to increase the number of academically successful students locally by offering assistance in studying and tutoring. The Project HEART volunteers aim to help struggling students in the local community and to encourage academic growth in North Carolina.
The project began in 2000 with 48 tutors providing services to 480 at-risk middle grade students in Edgecombe, Martin, Nash, Pitt and Wilson counties, and now serves more than 9,000 students across the state in grades 3-12.
"Project HEART aims to increase the number of students who succeed academically, reduce the dropout rate and increase the number of students who graduate from high school in four years," said Kenneth Taylor, the volunteer coordinator for Project HEART.
Project HEART is in conjunction with several different volunteer services in the community including the national volunteer service AmeriCorps, as well as local community colleges, private colleges and universities, school districts, Boys & Girls Clubs of America and other local organizations in eastern North Carolina.
AmeriCorps volunteer services will be celebrating AmeriCorps week May 11-18. AmeriCorps week is a week dedicated to recruitment and education about what the AmeriCorps volunteer service does. Greenville's Mayor Pat Dun, will be taking part in some of the activities during AmeriCoprs week.
"Mayor Pat Dunn will be 'shadowing' one of our Project HEART tutors that day at Wahl-Coats [elementary school] on May 12," said Project HEART director, Betty Beacham.
This week will offer an opportunity for AmeriCorps volunteers both past and present to shine and discuss their experiences with the program. Recently, a Project HEART Alumni Chapter has also been started at ECU, offering veterans of the program a way to stay in contact with the program and people involved.
ECU students are encouraged to take part in Project HEART and applications for the 2008-9 school year are now being accepted.
The ECU Americorps/Project HEART office is located in Ragsdale 104A. More information about the program can be found at ecu.edu/cs-educ/projectheart.
This writer can be contacted at features@theeastcarolinian.com.
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