From 8-10 a.m. Wednesday, November 2, Volunteers In Public Schools (VIPS) is hosting a Volunteer Coordinator Workshop entitled “Make It Work:  Partnering with Parents and Big Business.” The workshop is free to all volunteer coordinators and $20 for community organizers and nonprofits. Guests will hear from representatives from several of the top businesses in the city, including ExxonMobil and Walmart, on what it takes to form sustainable partnerships. They also will learn how to increase parental participation.

At 83 schools in the East Baton Rouge Parish School System, there are dedicated individuals who are assigned by their principals to serve as volunteer coordinators and organize volunteer support at their school sites. Volunteer coordinators seek volunteers and community partners to fulfill school needs, work with school personnel to determine volunteer opportunities and recognize the good work of school volunteers and partners.

In addition, the coordinators remain in frequent communication with VIPS to appropriately place volunteers in their schools or to inform VIPS of volunteer opportunities. Many times these volunteer coordinators are school personnel who take on this additional task, but some are volunteers.

“We truly appreciate the work of the volunteer coordinators. We could not place as many volunteers and partners in schools without them. The coordinators know the intricacies of their schools much better than VIPS, so they can advocate more effectively for volunteer support for their schools. However, we recognize that many of these coordinators serve in dual capacities, so we do everything we can to support them,” said Angela Lau, VIPS Volunteer director.

Visit VIPS at vips.ebrschools.org to register for this training or call (225) 226-4701 for more information.