April 23, 2024 – Volunteers at Kernersville Elementary School felt the love on Friday morning during the school’s Volunteer Appreciation Month Breakfast.
Dozens of volunteers gathered in the school media center for a spread of pastries, fruits, quiches, coffee, and more. The refreshments were provided by Kernersville teachers and staff, who were happy to have an opportunity to say thank you to the volunteers who are mainstays in their classrooms. Volunteers serve schools in countless capacities, ranging from field trap chaperones to lunch monitors to tutors to proctors and everything in between, and it’s important for them to know how much their assistance means.
“It gives our teachers a chance to say thank you, and it creates a positive energy in our building,” said Kernersville Parent and Family Engagement Coordinator Katie Lutz. “It helps us create the kind of community atmosphere we need.”
This is just one of many events schools have planned for Volunteer Appreciation Month. Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools benefits from the services of over 12,000 volunteers across its 81 campuses, and it would be much more difficult to get just about anything done without their help. Keeping up that base of support requires comprehensive communication, and appreciation events go a long way towards rewarding volunteers for their commitment to the district’s students.
“Most of the schools have something like this to show their volunteers appreciation,” said Executive Director of Community Engagement Terry Matthews, who served drinks at the Kernersville breakfast. “They’re very good at engaging our volunteers and showing them how much they care.”
Volunteers are happy to do the less glamorous work if it means improving the learning experience for students in their communities. Many of them are parents and grandparents who want to help enrich their own children and their classmates, while others are concerned citizens who see a valuable chance to make their whole communities better places to live. In any case, it’s always nice to be shown some gratitude for a worthwhile job well done.
“We’re usually behind the scenes,” said Kernersville Volunteer Bernard Posey. “When we’re highlighted like this, it definitely does make us feel more appreciated. "