10 out of 10. That’s the number of requests met by local churches in a pilot of the CarePortal Tier 2 feature in Woodward.
Did you know that CarePortal offers three tiers of opportunities to give your time, talent, and treasure? It is an on ramp for action! 111Project’s action steps are to advocate actively, give generously, respond relationally, or host hospitably. “Tier 1” opportunities are requests to meet tangible needs. There have been over 23,000 Tier 1 Requests made on CarePortal throughout this year. Just recently, Woodward Public Schools, one of our responding partners in Woodward, Oklahoma, took an important step in advocacy. The students there began meeting Tier 2 requests, which are specifically opportunities for people to volunteer TIME. Instead of spending dollars, responders can spend hours!
In March, Woodward Public Schools began using Tier 2 to request volunteers for their mentoring program through CarePortal. The requests went something like this: “We’re requesting a mentor for a 6-year-old boy in Mrs. Smith’s Kindergarten classroom. He tends to be a little quiet at first, but he will warm up quickly with a little reassurance and consistency. He likes to read books, play with Legos, and build with blocks. His favorite animal is a zebra. He would benefit from a mentor meeting with him at the school one hour per week.” To see the archive of these requests, click HERE.
One-by-one, the Woodward churches within the 111Project network responded. “We have a church member who can mentor this student!” Within two weeks, ten requests resulted in ten new mentors for their program! Woodward Public Schools vets and trains the new volunteers and then puts them to work within their volunteer opportunities. The school invited the churches in, and the churches were up for the challenge. The positive impact this has on the school and the lives of these students will be long-lasting. Thank you, Woodward Public Schools, for taking this important step in advocating for children and families in crisis in your community!
Click the link below to enroll in CarePortal if you haven’t already, or to browse Tier 2 CarePortal Needs in Oklahoma!