Volunteers that Inspire

April is Volunteer Appreciation month and we are sharing another inspiring story with you. 

Betsy and Jayna in a literacy session

Betsy Kelley is a new volunteer and first time Literacy tutor with GiGi’s.  From the very beginning Betsy has given her own “best of all” by fully preparing for her role through completing her self-led training, attending all training meetings and asking really smart questions.

After the first couple tutoring sessions with her student, Jayna, Betsy proactively reached out to the Speech Therapists that provide Jayna’s Amina Grace Speech Therapy! Betsy wanted to share best practices between her students speech and literacy sessions so she could provide the very best experience for her student.

Jayna’s speech therapist, Elizabeth Delsandro (Clinical Proessor and Licensed Speech Therapist with the UW-Madison Speech and Language Clinic) and first year Speech and Language Therapist graduate students, Meghan Botsch and Mia Angione have been incredible partners in this collaboration. All of these women have gone above and beyond behind the scenes to give a strong all-around experience for our Playhouse participant and her family by sharing what motivates and engages their student.

Jayna during Speech Thearpy

Betsy shared a little about how she came to GiGi’s and what her experience has been:

“For many years, I taught therapeutic horseback riding to kids and adults with disabilities at Three Gaits in Stoughton. Work and life got in the way and I had to take a break from that, but I really missed working with kids and this looked like a good fit for my time and interest.

I have absolutely LOVED learning to be a literacy tutor! It’s been super fun to work one-on-one with Jaynaba and to have her dad right there to help me understand what she can do and how to help her.

It’s also been incredibly helpful to be able to chat with her speech team about their strategies for keeping things fun and engaging. It’s been super fun to work one-on-one with Jaynaba and to have her dad right there to help me understand what she can do and how to help her.”

I have absolutely LOVED learning to be a literacy tutor!

A little group interaction prior to starting separate tutoring sessions

Our Playhouse is blessed with over 100 active volunteers and each comes with a unique story and find ways to inspire us. We are shining a light on Betsy because of the way she went above and beyond to ensure her student was achieving as much as she can! This would never be a requirement for our tutors but Betsy is an example that others look up to.

We are so thankful for you Betsy, Elizabeth, Mia and Meghan! Thank you for all you do!