On Thursday, April 29, 2010 Experience Corps Bay Area received top honors for Excellence in Nonprofit Volunteer Management at HATS OFF! A Celebration of Volunteer Heroes presented by The Volunteer Center Serving San Francisco and San Mateo Counties. 

Experience Corps Bay Area (ECBA) with more than 240 volunteers in 23 schools in SF, Oakland and San Rafael, is a literacy intervention volunteer program designed to leverage the time, talent, and experience of older adults 55+ (Boomers) to be academic mentors for the underserved in our urban elementary schools.

ECBA recruits, screens, trains, places and supports volunteers to work 1:1 or in small groups doing targeted academic tutoring, in-class support, and enrichment activities—before, during and after school for students who have been identified as needing more individual support.

"Ours is a unique multi-level approach to health improvement that has tremendous benefits, and coupled with its youth education focus, serves a dual-benefit to society" says David Moren, Associate Director for ECBA Oakland. "ECBA is a great win-win for the community."

The 2010 Excellence in Nonprofit Volunteer Management Award recognizes nonprofit organizations that effectively engage volunteers in the meaningful work that they do in their communities.

ECBA is proud to have received this peer recognition honor, as well as endorsements from the Mayor of San Francisco, AARP, and several media outlets for the proven impact of our volunteer program.

Experience Corps Bay Area plans to deepen its presence in all 23 schools next year and is actively recruiting older adults to join our team and help kids learn to read. Contact ECBA at 415/759-3690 for more information on how to get involved.

See full press release here (PDF).
See photos from the event.