Phuc Huynh, Heart House Dallas
 Phuc
Huynh |
This month’s
Dallas
volunteer spotlight is on Phuc Huynh, a stellar afterschool tutor/mentor
who impresses everybody with his dedication and natural tutoring talent.
Phuc has generously volunteered 158 hours of his time since March of 2003,
even though he is busily working on his M.S. in Software Engineering at
UTD and is employed in the Computer Operations department at BeautiControl
Cosmetics.
April McKinley, a
Program Leader who works with Phuc says, “Phuc is great. He’s
reliable, caring, and helpful, and the kids really do adore him. He’s
also a great tutor. In many ways, he is the ideal tutor.”
Fortunately, the good
feelings are mutual. Phuc says “Heart House is wonderful. It’s a safe
and structured environment that provides these kids with resources to be
successful young adults. The kids are great! I will never underestimate
any of these children. They seem to have an inexhaustible supply of
energy, enthusiasm, and potential. They’re all very bright, sweet, and
capable of anything.”
Phuc likes to think
that he has become a familiar face that the children can trust and be
comfortable with. He also says, “I’m a better person because of Heart
House. I’m more patient and
understanding. Helping the
kids evens out the stress of work and school.
It gives me something to do that I truly enjoy.
It also helps me keep everything in perspective. Volunteering makes
my life better. It’s selfish
– I do it for myself. The
free snacks don’t hurt either.
 Dee
Kurtzer |
Dee
Kurtzer, Heart House Austin
Dee Kurtzer has been a
tremendous asset to Heart House since she began volunteering last June.
Not only is this ex-teacher great with the children, but she also
has taken on many side tasks such as helping with curriculum and
organizing the kitchen. She is
always looking for ways to help the staff improve the Heart House program.
When
Dee
heard about our thematic program, she brought in books and posters for the
kids to use. She has also
attended Heart House fundraisers and donated many of her teaching supplies
to Heart House. Rana Emerson,
Program Director says, “I can’t imagine what we did before Ms. Dee!
She not only shares her experience as a teacher, and lots of her
own cool materials and books, but her caring and helpful nature has made
her a valuable addition to the Heart House family!”
Dee
moved to
Austin
when her husband transferred jobs. For
ten years, she worked as a travel agent and had the opportunity to travel
to
Canada
,
Mexico
, the
Caribbean
,
Europe
,
Hawaii
, Alaska
, Australia
, and
New Zealand
.
Dee
taught Pre-Kindergarten through First grade for eleven years.
When she decided to retire from teaching in 2000,
Dee
became involved in volunteering and spends much of her time helping
others. She also likes to
cook, read history and trivia, and listen to the Beatles.
The Heart House
children respect and have learned from Ms. Dee.
She brings her innovative and creative teaching ideas to Heart
House.
Dee
has put in dozens of hours tutoring and supervising the children as well
as time outside of Heart House thinking of ways to make it better.
She has been such a tremendous help and the staff and children
appreciate all that she has done.
Thank you so much,
Dee
!
Whether
working directly with the children or providing technical or
administrative expertise in the background, your help is needed!
Check out our website and volunteer
opportunities or fill out an on-line
application today!
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more Volunteer Spotlights
|
