TULSA, Okla. — On Saturday, two education nonprofits celebrated their 10th anniversary in Tulsa with a special party.
On Saturday afternoon, City Year Tulsa and Leading Partners Tulsa celebrated 10 years of living in Tulsa with a special party at Gathering Place near Thirty First and Riverside.
Both groups come to Tulsa around the same time and meet with students one-on-one to provide academic support.
The event featured games, performances by students and the Hot Toast Music Company, children's activities, cake and more.
“We basically invited the entire country, students of all ages, and families of all ages to come and celebrate with us, even if people weren't part of our program. We just wanted to celebrate student growth, student literacy and student success in our city,” said Olivia Martin, executive director of Leading Partners Tulsa.
Eva Malina, City Year's service leader, said City Year helps the students in the classroom both academically and emotionally. They also go out and volunteer in the school communities they support.
Marina said she loves being with the students.
“I love being in the classroom with my students. Helping them get from an F to an A is really important to me. Every time I walk into the classroom and they ask a question, I see their smiles. It really cheers me up,” Marina said.
As for Reading Partners, Martin said it is recruiting staff to bring students' reading and writing skills closer to their grade level. It also incorporates a mentoring aspect.
“Each student has one or two unique people who invest in them each week and celebrate their growth and victories. Their instruction is just as important to their growth and literacy as the actual curriculum.” Martin said.
Martin said Reading Partners has served more than 11,000 students through more than 300,000 sessions since it came to Tulsa.
