As hundreds of families passed her table to register for the upcoming school year, senior Suhina Mitra was not surprised she knew most of the kids. After four years of volunteering at Endeavour Elementary, her work has become more than a way to earn her required hours: it has become a passion.
“A lot of the kids recognized me, and they all ran towards me and hugged me,” Mitra said. “That’s when I realized I’m not just a random volunteer. I feel more like an older sister than a teacher.”
In 2015, the school partnered with the Children’s Home Society (CHS), a national organization that supports children’s education by providing health, well-being and financial services.
According to U.S. News & World Report, 70% of Endeavour students are economically disadvantaged and 89% identify as minorities. The school went from a “D” grade in 2023 to a “C” in 2024.
Throughout Mitra’s time volunteering at CHS-sponsored events such as STEM camps, she has noticed that many students struggle academically.
“These kids are brilliant, but they need extra support that they don’t have at home,” Mitra said. “That’s what CHS is for.”
The organization offers families with free aftercare, meals and clothing. In addition, CHS has partnered with pediatricians, dentists and counselors who work on campus to provide students with more accessible care.
Mitra was once assigned to mentor a student who was held back twice.
“She was talking to me – she had a speech impediment – and she revealed to me that she was living in a van with her parents and cousins and grandpa and siblings,” Mitra said. “She wasn’t sleeping. She didn’t have her teeth brushed. She wasn’t eating nutritious food. So I was like, ‘We’re going to get you back on grade level.’”
CHS provided the family with housing, created a nutrition plan and checked that she was brushing her teeth. At the end of that summer, she went up by two grade levels.
“I had a speech problem [when I was younger],” Mitra said. “I was once in her shoes, but I had the privilege to go to a speech therapist, so I felt responsible for looking after her and getting her back on grade level. I’ve worked with a lot of students, but that was the biggest.”
“I keep going back because I really like the people and enjoy helping and hanging out with the students,” McGrory said. “I’ve always loved kids. I’m a babysitter and I just love seeing the children have a good time. It feels really good to give back when I feel like I have so much and these children aren’t as fortunate as me.”
After a year and a half of volunteering at Endeavour, McGrory wanted her senior project to teach the students about financial literacy. In November, she gave the teachers fake currency to give the students as a reward for good behavior and collected toys for a “market,” where they learned how to save and sell.
“When I first started volunteering, I didn’t even see it as a job,” McGrory said. “I just got to hang out with these super nice students, and I didn’t even ask for volunteer hours some days. But I never thought I would be the one to organize something to give back to their school. I never thought I would be able to organize something like this.”
Mitra has worked with Endeavour Community Partnership School Director Christina McPherson to organize volunteer events. Since most students at the school identify as low-income, McPherson said “they require extra support.”
“At the beginning of last year, we had one girl who had a lot of tooth pain, and her family could not afford the surgery she needed,” McPherson said. “We got her in for surgery at no cost to the family. Almost a year later, she still comes up to me and shows me she’s keeping her teeth clean. She’s in first grade this year, and just seeing her scores in class increase because she’s not in pain anymore – it’s more than money can buy.”
McPherson originally wanted to be an attorney, but got into education when she realized “it was the therapists and social workers that made the difference.”
“I figured if we can pour good into tiny humans and support their families, they will grow up knowing how to make better choices and start alleviating some of the craziness in our world,” McPherson said. “There’s nothing quite like community schools, and seeing the tiny humans is always the best part. Writing a grant report, maybe not as much fun, but I know every penny I bring into this school helps support what those kids need.”
As Mitra and McGrory prepare for graduation, Mitra said she wants the club to keep giving back to the school community.
“I started, then I brought [the club], and I’m hoping, throughout the year, I can expand it to other schools,” Mitra said. “We’re like role models to the kids, and we’re going to need a whole new generation of volunteers.”
McPherson said she loves when young people come to help the students. According to her, “short of Taylor Swift” visiting the school, nothing is “cooler to an elementary school kid than a high school or college kid.”
“It makes them feel so special,” McPherson said. “When these kids recognize you and are excited to see you, it produces so many good feelings in your body. You know, in that moment, you’re making a difference, and you didn’t even have to do that much. You were just here.”