[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Pages 15549-15550]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                               WHIZ KIDS

 Mr. ALLARD. Mr. President, I rise to tell my colleagues about 
an extraordinary volunteer program that is dramatically impacting the 
lives of underprivileged, underachieving students in Denver, CO.
  It is called Whiz Kids and, frankly this program is a classic example 
of what happens when men and women of faith, who love kids, decide to 
make things happen.
  Each week, over 700 volunteers tutor elementary students in the 
Denver, Aurora, and Jefferson County school districts. Most of the 
tutoring takes place at urban churches, but at each of 44 sites, Whiz 
Kids provides books, computers, snacks, club time-spiritual values, a 
sense of community and, most of all, the love of men and women who care 
enough about the kids to invest a few hours a week to help them read.
  The results have been nothing short of fantastic--the average 
youngster in Whiz Kids improves his or her reading ability by 1-3 
grades each year, according to tracking by Denver Public Schools. The 
target for Whiz Kids is schools and students with scores below average 
in CSAP, Colorado's statewide student testing program.
  Whiz Kids is an 11-year-old, nonprofit organization which is 
supported by over 700 volunteer tutors and more than 80 other key 
volunteer leaders. Each tutor make a 1-year commitment to the program 
and the tutor retention rate is an amazing 95 percent with 60 percent 
of volunteer tutors re-upping from one year to the next.
  Whiz Kids operates on a shoestring--the total cash budget is only 
$360,000 per year. But the dramatic results of this tutoring program, 
and its commendable cost efficiency, have called forth tremendous 
support from over 150 churches of many denominations.
  The Colorado business community has also pitched in to help by 
donating 120 computers and other in-kind contributions and financial 
support from companies such as AV Hunter, Best Buy, Janis, JD Edwards, 
Kinder Morgan, King Soopers, Houghton Mifflin, Western Union, and 
others.
  Additional support comes from the Anschutz Family Foundation, Coors 
Foundation, Daniels Foundation, El Pomar, Fund for Colorado's Future, 
Jack A. Vickers Foundation, PK Foundation, Sam S. Bloom Foundation, the 
Schlessman Family Foundation, Schramm Foundation and TYL Foundation.
  The Denver Nuggets donated the entire Pepsi Center to Whiz Kids for a 
1-day Slam Dunk Saturday event at which 2,000 mentors and kids gather 
for basketball clinics and drills. Then, mentors and kids are guests of 
the Nuggets for the evening game. This is the largest gathering of its 
kind in the NBA. The Nuggets donate additional tickets for tutors, 
kids, and their parents throughout the season.
  The Denver Broncos donate tickets to their kids camp. Whiz Kids has 
received the Denver Broncos Quarterback Award 2 years in a row. The 
Colorado Rapids annually donate game tickets for kids and tutors.
  Each year, Whiz Kids holds its year end Run to Read event at Denver's 
City Park. More than a thousand tutors and kids gather for games, 
music, and fun to celebrate achievements of the year. Last year, this 
event also raised pledges of more than $20,000 from tutors to buy 
additional supplies for the following school year.
  From start to finish, kids and tutors have a lot of fun, but the main 
purpose is completely serious--to get kids who are falling behind in 
reading back on track. It is a program that is working.
  Whiz Kids has been called one of the top three faith-based tutoring 
programs in America by Tony Campbell of America's Promise. And no 
wonder, it is already being copied in eight other States.
  I hope my colleagues will take a moment to read a recent letter from 
the Denver Public Schools which describes why Whiz Kids is such an 
``excellent model of collaboration'' between the public schools and the 
private sector.
  ``To Whom It May Concern: In support of the Whiz Kids Tutoring 
Program, this letter shall serve to detail

[[Page 15550]]

the collaborative relationship between our organizations. Whiz Kids 
Tutoring operates in partnership with the Denver Public Schools Office 
of Community Partnerships, as an independent agency providing services 
to our students. Because of this partnership by acting as the interface 
between the program and the principals and teachers of our district. At 
the beginning of each school semester, we assist the program by 
identifying students and facilitating student participation, and by 
coordinating the participation of DPS liaison teachers. Our office 
provides additional salary compensation for liaison teachers, based 
upon the number of sessions attended in a given school year. This 
compensation totaled over $29,000 for the 2001-02 school year. In 
addition, our office provides Colorado Bureau of Investigations 
background screening for all incoming volunteers to the program, and we 
assist Whiz Kids with $500 in vouchers for books and other materials 
for each new study hall session that opens. We also conducted an 
evaluation of the program (1998/99) in conjunction with the Graduate 
School of Education at the University of Denver. This study showed us 
that students engaged with Whiz Kids tutors gained between one and 
three academic grade levels in reading competencies over a 1-year time 
frame.
  ``For their part, Whiz Kids Tutoring provides Denver Public Schools 
with a wonderful benefit each school year. Nearly 600 of our students 
receive one-on-one academic support and mentoring each year, making 
Whiz Kids the largest single provider of such services to the district. 
The agency provides excellent support and training to its volunteers, 
which is reflected by the extremely high commitment level the 
volunteers exhibit. Recruitment, training, and management of all 
volunteers are provided by Whiz Kids, eliminating any costs to DPS in 
these areas. Also, by partnering with neighborhood churches and 
community centers to provide space for group activities, Whiz Kids 
greatly reduces the overhead costs of the program, which might 
otherwise be incurred by the district in a school-based operation.
  ``The relationship between Whiz Kids Tutoring and Denver Public 
Schools is an excellent model of collaboration and provides a vital 
service to the children of our district. I appreciate your 
consideration of the Whiz Kids Tutoring grant proposal and give it my 
full endorsement as a partner. Should you require additional details 
regarding our partnership, please feel free to contact me at 303-764-
3580. Sincerely, Christine Smith, Director, Denver Public Schools 
Office of Community Partnerships and Enterprise Activity.''
  Mr. President, Whiz Kids is a great program which enriches the lives 
of students, provides a fulfilling opportunity for volunteers, and 
gives them a wonderful opportunity to put their faith into action. 
Every community ought to have a program like this.

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