This is Alice, an organizer for Team AOC’s Homework Helpers program. As you may remember, Homework Helpers started when the COVID-19 pandemic forced New York City schools to shut down and students transitioned to online learning.
After hearing from families who were struggling to juggle work, childcare, and technology, Alexandria had an idea to do something pretty radical for a congressional campaign (as most others were laser focused on just getting elected): she started this free tutoring program to connect volunteers from across the country with students from our community who could use help with their homework, and two years later the program is still going strong.
We’ve been crunching the numbers from our parent/guardian feedback surveys and can confirm that the program has been a resounding success.
Here are some highlights:
Because of volunteers with our program and the support from small-dollar donors, this program has had a tremendous positive impact in our community.
So what’s next from here? Homework Helpers has started to expand into other parts of New York State — Team AOC worked with student organizers at University of Buffalo to help them open their own Homework Helpers chapter this past fall. Additionally, we’re focusing our efforts in 2023 on matching bilingual volunteers with migrant students who’ve just arrived in New York City in order to provide them and their families with academic and social-emotional support.
Up until this point, we’ve been able to fund our Homework Helpers program thanks to your generous support. Now, here’s what I need from you: if you can afford it, I am asking you to make a contribution today so we can expand our program and purchase classroom materials, fund field trips, and create ESOL (English to Speakers of Other Languages) training materials for volunteers.
https://act.ocasiocortez.com/go/homework-helpers
We’ve decided to expand Homework Helpers because this mutual aid program is at the core of what this movement is about: helping people. Our campaign isn’t just active when it’s a voting year. We use your contributions to help keep these programs available for our communities year-round.
None of this would be possible if it weren’t for the community organizers who put this together and everyday people who stepped up to volunteer a few hours to tutor a student or chip in to our campaign or shop. So many kids have seen leaps in their grades thanks to you and your support. Let’s keep this going. If you can be part of this work by contributing and helping to expand this special program, here’s that link one more time:
https://act.ocasiocortez.com/go/homework-helpers
I’m so thankful for the people reading this email, the people who make up this movement who are so full of heart and generosity. We’re doing something great together.
Thank you again, and thank you for reading,
Alice Moye-Honeyman
Political Organizer
Team AOC
P.S. We’re currently working to match Spanish-speaking volunteers with students who are asylum seekers in NYC. This school year, NYC schools have enrolled more than 11,000+ new migrant students, many of whom are having difficulty with significant language barriers. If you aren’t proficient in Spanish, we could still use your help virtually from anywhere in the country – join one of our upcoming info sessions here to learn more!
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Email us: [email protected]
This email was sent to [email protected]. Email is the most important way we keep in touch with people like you, so thank you for reading to the end. Small donors like you keep us going. To contribute via check, please address to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for Congress, PO Box 680080, Corona, NY 11368.
Paid for by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for Congress
