All Helbing classrooms participated in Celebrity Readers, which encouraged reading for fun. Corps volunteers attended the fourth-grade Valentine's Day pen pal reception in celebration of writing success. Fourth-grade students who now write for pleasure, successfully passed the writing portion of the TAAS test. In return for their hard work and dedication, the Helbing staff and students delivered lunch for Corps of Engineers personnel during Engineers Week. Eight hundred members of Broadway Baptist Church continually work in support of the academic programs at Van Zandt-Guinn.
Church members interact daily with the students serving as tutors and mentors.
Volunteers eat lunch with a student on a regular basis through the Lunch Pal program, and they help staff the Homework Helpers program after school. Broadway Baptist held a Holiday Store for Van Zandt-Guinn students where each student could earn points for good behavior, attendance, and academic success. Broadway Baptist also held a Spring Craft Fair and sent faxes to the church keeping church members informed. After TAAS, a Fine Arts Day is planned with musicians, artists, musical instrument craftsmen and storytellers, including minority artists as role models. Since this partnership began, TAAS scores significantly increased in reading, writing and math.