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Whiz Kids
 Mission:
To build relationships between at-risk children
and Christian adults through tutoring in the spirit
of Christ.
Whiz Kids Tutoring
is a unique program designed to serve at-risk
children by not only helping them academically,
but also by introducing them to our risen Savior,
Jesus Christ. Our basic program is designed to
bring Christian tutors from all over the Greater
Des Moines area together with at-risk students
in first through fifth grade. The one-on-one tutors
and their students meet together once a week for
approximately one hour. The first forty minutes
is dedicated to working on their school skills,
with reading as the top priority. The last twenty
minutes is dedicated to a Christian message given
by one volunteer while the tutors and students
sit together, listen and eat a snack.
 The
program is typically structured to have an inner-city
church host Whiz Kids.
However, many of these well-placed churches do
not have the manpower to run the program, whereas
many larger churches are not in suitable locations.
The Whiz Kids solution is to partner inner-city
churches with larger churches, collaborating to
bring the good news of Jesus to our neighbors
in Des Moines.
A Whiz Kids Tutoring
program revolves around three key positions. The
Site Coordinator works to make the site conducive
to learning and sharing the gospel. The Coordinator
maintains communication between Good Samaritan
Urban Ministries, the tutors, and the students.
The Biblical Instructor shares the Bible teaching
at the end of the evening. Often the Site Coordinator
is also the Biblical Instructor. The tutor works
one-on-one with the child. The number of tutors
available determines the size of the site.
Good Samaritan provides the basic learning materials,
i.e. books, paper, pencils, computers and games.
We encourage the host churches and the partnering
churches to financially sponsor their Whiz
Kids group by purchasing additional supplies
the site might need.
Tutoring sessions run from the last week of September
through the third week of April. Look for updates
on new Whiz Kids sites!
List of sites and evenings of operation:
Gatchel United Methodist Church
1090 Martin Luther King Parkway, Des Moines
Thursdays 6:30-7:30pm
Redeemer Lutheran Church
3615 University Avenue, Des Moines
Tuesdays 6:30-7:45pm
Evangelical Covenant Church
2625 Hubbell Avenue, Des Moines
Tuesdays 6:30-7:45pm
Valley Church
4343 Fuller Road, West Des Moines
Thursdays 7:00-8:15pm
 Email
whizkids@goodsamaritan-dsm.org with questions.
Or, for more information on how you can become
a tutor or your church can participate, call LuAnn
Hoxeng, Youth Program Manager, at (515) 283-0818
ext. 106.
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