Volunteer Spotlight: Lori

Name:

Lori Hart

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I’ve been blessed with a loving family. My husband and I have two sons, a daughter, a daughter-in-law, one grandson, and two granddaughters. I’m a retired teacher who enjoys reading, traveling, and volunteering. In addition, I enjoy substituting.

We want to get to know you! What are some of your favorites? (food, color, season, activity, restaurant, place to shop, etc.)

My favorites: food-seafood, color-aqua, season-summer, sport-football, activity-reading, listening to Podcasts while walking, family vacations to the beach, attending my grandchildren’s games and activities.

How did you learn about GiGi’s and what prompted you to become a volunteer?

A friend attended the Canton Opening Celebration and was enthusiastic about it. Our younger son who is now 32 has Down syndrome. I’m grateful for the advocacy efforts and supports that the parents who came before had in place for him. I wanted to pay it forward.

Tell us more about what you do at the Playhouse!

I get to work one-on-one with children to help them in their reading and/or math skills. GiGi’s literacy and math programs are streamlined with motivating materials to use. I’m impressed with the training and support that is provided for tutors.

What is your favorite experience you have had at the Playhouse?

Seeing a child successfully read sentences, highlighting each word with a flashlight.

Lori has been an amazing volunteer since she came to us at the beginning of 2022. Since starting as a volunteer, Lori has committed to our Spring, Summer, and Fall tutoring sessions for both Math and Literacy every time a new session rolls around. She has valuable techniques and experience to share and comes up with a creative way to keep her students engaged. Thanks to Lori, we have been able to offer nearly 140 hours of FREE, one-on-one tutoring to participants in our Playhouse in the past year, and even more with all the other wonderful tutors that work alongside her!

Want to become a dedicated tutor like Lori? We are accepting applications! Our Fall 2023 session will run from September 4th and December 17th. Tutors will be expected to plan and deliver a one-hour session during each of these 15 weeks. We will schedule you for one hour on the same day and time each week. If interested in tutoring with us, please click here to apply by August 14th for our Fall 2023 session.