Mary Card
Community Volunteer
Mary Card has been an advocate for
volunteerism her entire professional 25 year career,
and has been instrumental in recruiting hundreds of
volunteers for the Spring Branch Independent School
District as the Volunteer Coordinator in the Partnerships & Volunteer Office.
Upon her retirement in May 2004, she
began a campaign to recruit mentors within her church,
Memorial Drive Presbyterian. Mary Card has been the mentor coordinator
for the IMPACT Mentoring Program at Spring Woods Middle
School for the last two years. When volunteers
are needed for a program Mary Card can find them. There
is a saying in our district that “No one can say ‘NO’ to
Mary Card.”
In addition to her outstanding efforts
related to recruiting the mentors and entrenching the
program at SWMS, Mary has used her amazing talents to
call forth other resources for the school as she identified
new needs. For example, she utilized the mentors to
bring a missing element to the campus, teacher appreciation
by the community. Mary launched a campaign into
the school which includes a luncheon prepared by the
mentors for the teachers and other appreciation surprises
throughout the school year. In the true spirit of volunteerism,
Mary is always looking for new ways to help.
The multiple
benefits of the efforts of Mary Card and the MDPC mentors
are evident throughout the school. When you walk through
corridors surrounding the school’s glassed in
courtyard you will likely see students meeting individually
with their mentor in meaningful conversation. In the
teacher’s lounge, you might see a snack basket
provided by the mentors for the teachers to show their
appreciation. In the hallway you will see a Mentor Bulletin
Board with pictures and upcoming planned mentor/student
events.
According to the SWMS Administrator,
within one year, this mentoring effort has positively
impacted the culture of the school for both students
and faculty. For the students, the presence of a caring
adult willing to spend an hour a week in a sustained
relationship has multiple benefits, including better
attitudes toward school, improved attendance and a reduction
in negative behavior.
