...supporting students at Fairview Elementary School
Wesley Memorial is Making a Difference by...
Fairview Elementary School is located in the Southside community in High Point, just a few miles away from Wesley Memorial. However most of the students at Fairview live in a world drastically different from the one in which we live. Over 96% of Fairview students receive free or reduced lunch, which is the standard measure of poverty used in schools. Fairview serves many foster children as well as children who reside in temporary housing at the Salvation Army Shelter. Many of Fairview’s students and their families are transient, with some students attending several different schools in one year. Often children arrive at Fairview speaking little or no English, coming from countries such as Mexico, Pakistan and Vietnam.
Visit Fairview and you will discover a welcoming and nurturing environment. If you arrive early in the day, you may see teenagers or adults eating breakfast with students. These Breakfast Buddies help students start off the day on a positive note. After breakfast they may read together, work puzzles, or simply chat about what’s going on in the life of that child. Later in the morning you may find adults working with students to improve their reading or math skills. Volunteers receive all the materials necessary to know exactly how to tutor each student. These weekly visits usually last only 30 to 60 minutes, but the caring one-on-one relationships have positive effects that carry throughout the week.
If you visit Fairview around the holidays or near the end of the year, you may find Wesley Memorial volunteers providing breakfast or lunch for the school’s staff. Because of the high level of poverty in the Southside community, the PTA is only able to provide limited support for the school. Volunteers from our church step in to show their appreciation for Fairview’s educators.
If you are interested in learning more about the work we are doing at Fairview Elementary School, please contact the Volunteer Center (884-2204 ext. 240 or volunteer@wesleymemorial.org, Ivey Orr (iporr@aol.com or 883-0582) or Mary Nifong (nifongm@earthlink.net or 886-7515.)