English Tutoring Project Receives Grant from The Saigh Foundation
The English Tutoring Project (ETP) was thrilled to receive a $5,000 grant from The Saigh Foundation to support our mission to provide English language acquisition at no charge to the families or schools served. ETP, founded in 1998 by 17 congregations of women religious, is currently serving 116 students from 14 countries of origin in eight Catholic elementary schools in the Archdiocese of St. Louis and is grateful for the financial support of the community. The Saigh Foundation was created by Fred. M Saigh to serve as a legacy of the gifts he gave throughout his lifetime to the community of St. Louis. Mr. Saigh was the child of immigrants and we believe that this gift would have greatly pleased him as it enables us to serve children with whom he would have easily identified. Thank you, Mr. Saigh, for your beautiful legacy and thank you to the Saigh Foundation for entrusting us by your...
Read MoreEnglish Tutoring Project Receives Grant from Greater St. Louis Book Fair
The English Tutoring Project (ETP) was thrilled to receive a $5,000 grant from The Greater St. Louis Book Fair to support our mission to provide English language acquisition at no charge to the families or schools served. ETP, founded in 1998 by 17 congregations of women religious, is currently serving 116 students from 14 countries of origin in eight Catholic elementary schools in the Archdiocese of St. Louis and is grateful for the financial support of the community. The Greater St Louis Book Fair will be held May 3-6, 2018 at Greensfelder Recreation Complex at Queeny Park. The Book Fair generates the funding used for grants to promote the importance of reading and literacy and is seeking both shoppers and volunteers. Please call 314-993-1995 to volunteer for the upcoming Book...
Read MoreEnglish Tutoring Project Announces New Board Members
Entering 20th Year of Operations The English Tutoring Project (ETP) – a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing on-site assistance to children from refugee and immigrant families to acquire English language skills in an environment where all children experience respect for themselves and their culture – is entering their 20th academic year with several new Board members. Sr. Clare Bass, Dr. Cathy Johns, Dr. Barb Teng and Iggy Yuan have been appointed to a three-year term beginning in September. “Not only does ETP benefit our immigrant children, but the other students in our school are richer for the experience.” – Michel Wendell, MA Ed, Principal, St, Stephen Protomartyr School Sr. Clare Bass is a Sister of St. Joseph of Carondelet and is pursuing a Master in Social Work. Sr. Clare is passionate about providing all youth what they need to succeed and language acquisition for our ETP students is a major component of being able to succeed in school and life. Dr. Cathy Johns serves as the Director of Curriculum for the Catholic Education Office. Dr. Johns will serve as the liaison between the Catholic Education Office and the schools in need of ETP services. Dr. Johns’ knowledge of instructional needs will be beneficial as ETP seeks to expand into new schools. Dr. Barbara Teng is the Vice President at C Rallo Contracting. Dr. Teng has a passion for Catholic education and will serve on the Advancement Committee to help remove financial barriers so that immigrant and refugee families who seek to send their children to Catholic schools are able to do so. Dr. Teng is excited about the opportunity to include her middle and high school daughters in service to the ministry. Iggy Yuan is the child of refugees from the Chinese Revolution and his passion for the ETP mission is tireless. He is a first generation Chinese American, being the only member of his family born in America. Iggy is the Associate General Counsel for First Bank and serves on the Boards of the Asian Bar Association the Alumni Board of St. Louis Priory School and is active with the Asian American Chamber of Commerce. Iggy with focus his role with ETP on mission advancement with a special focus on sustainability. “We are grateful for and welcome each of these new Board members as they embrace our mission to serve immigrant and refugee children in our schools and community -Sister Kathleen Koenen, SSND, Administrator, English Tutoring Project Founded in 1998, ETP is an initiative of the St. Louis Area Women Religious Collaborative Ministries comprised of sisters from 17 different congregations who remain active today within our mission and activities. Since our founding, over 1,500 students from 33 countries of origin have been assisted by our...
Read MoreTeaching Immigrants Requires More than Tutors
Teaching Immigrants Requires More than Tutors: Stories of Justice Sister Barbara Dreher and Associate Kay Barnes Lend Expertise to English Tutoring Project by Sister Mary Flick, justice coordinator from Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet – St. Louis Province March 3, 2017 While immigration has captured the nation’s attention in recent months, the Sisters of St. Joseph have been reaching out to the newest of neighbors throughout their history. For some, that “reach” happens close to home through work on the board of the English Tutoring Project (ETP) in St. Louis. ETP has been providing on-site English language tutoring to children from immigrant and refugee families since 1998, with the coordinated efforts of 17 congregations of women religious in the area. Sister Barbara Dreher has served on its board of directors since 2008, and Associate Kay Barnes has been lending her expertise as a development professional since 2014. Together, they have made visible the CSJs’ love of God and the dear neighbor without distinction. Expanding Hope, Making a ‘Little Difference’ Sister Barbara Dreher was executive director of advancement for the St. Louis province when she was invited to serve on the ETP board in 2008. Since then, she has been its chair and vice-chair. More than warming a seat, she brings her keen eye in seeing opportunities to invite donors to join the work, and her large heart for teaching children. Sister Barbara has years of experience as a fundraiser for Fontbonne University, and as provincial of the St. Louis province. She currently serves on the congregational leadership team. But she considers her early years as a CSJ teaching first grade, to be one of her best experiences of ministry. “They [the students] look you straight in the eye and beg you to teach them how to be who they are,” she says. The chance to help children succeed in school and beyond was motivation for her to become involved in the English Tutoring Project. The program began with “retired” sisters teaching in a donated RV that was driven between participating schools. Today, the English language tutoring program works with immigrant and refugee students on-site at seven Catholic grade schools in St. Louis city, county, and St. Charles county. Twenty women religious and one laywoman “retired” from classroom teaching serve as tutors. In the 2015-16 school year, their classrooms included 156 students from 20 countries who spoke 22 native languages. The program, Sister Barbara says, “encourages and supports children of immigrant and refugee families to become a part of their community. And the students go home and speak English, helping their parents to learn. “When I step back and look at who we are as CSJs – how we turn beyond ourselves to serve a world in need, that we are to do all that woman is capable of, that we are serving the dear neighbor – the English Tutoring Project is an opportunity once again to be of service, and expands my hope of making...
Read MoreSt. Louis women religious team up to teach children
St. Louis women religious team up to teach children by Caitlin Kerfin in Global Sisters Report June 8, 2017 St. Joseph Sr. Sarah Heger, principal of Marian Middle School in St. Louis, walks the school’s halls with familiarity, greeting girls as she passes, occasionally popping in to check out the creative work they’re doing during the final hour of the school day. The Catholic all-girls school was formed through a collaborative endeavor among St. Louis’ women religious, and the founders’ work is reflected in the encouraging drawings and messages that students have painted on the walls. Teamwork among 17 congregations of women religious in the St. Louis area became an official nonprofit, the St. Louis Area Women Religious Collaborative Ministries, in 1998. The collaborative was formed out of an initiative from Region 10 of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, a national group of sister leaders. The women wanted to see what needs they could tackle together, said Sr. Kathleen Koenen, a School Sister of Notre Dame. The first need identified was education for immigrant or refugee children, which led to the creation of the collaborative’s English Tutoring Project. The program, which started in 1998, helps children from refugee and immigrant families learn English on-site at their school. “No one congregation felt at that time they could keep starting new ministries to fulfill new needs because many of the religious communities that were in the Leadership Conference of Women Religious were getting smaller in this area or had many ministries they were already involved in,” said Koenen, director of the English Tutoring Project. “But if they could collaborate with each other, they might be able to meet a need.” READ ENTIRE...
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