Agnes Marie Henkel, a School Sister of St. Francis who has been executive director of the agency since 1994. We sit down with each learner and test him or her. That's why we're successful. But the key to Christian calling is to delve into the needs of the learner, one on one. About 60 percent of volunteers are former educators, Henkel said.
Many sisters work as volunteers.
The 265 volunteers undergo three to five hours of training before beginning to tutor, Henkel said. Noting that the centers frequently have a waiting list of about 100 learners, she said volunteers are always needed. Requirements are a willingness to train, a 12th-grade education and a commitment to work two to four hours a week for six months or more. Henkel frequently sees a mutual appreciation for cultures develop between learner and tutor. One tutor who has volunteered for 16 years is a nurse who works third shift and arrives at the center after her shift is over, Henkel said.