LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Often, the best gift you can offer is your time. We were reminded of that on Thursday inside Brenda Cowan Elementary School.
During a press conference to introduce Lexington residents to a new Fayette County Public School webpage regarding volunteer opportunities, Superintendent Dr. Demetrus Liggins made this plea through a proverb.
“If you want to go fast, go alone. But if you want to go far, go together,” he read.
Dr. Liggins believes grades and graduation rates tend to rise when education is a genuine community effort. We saw that team effort on display as three parents walked into a 5th-grade classroom to take turns reading with the students.
“You don’t know what being a parent is like or what being a volunteer is like either until you do it and make those connections with the kids and watch them grow,” said Ruth Willoughby.
Mrs. Willoughby has been volunteering for years and hasn’t regretted it for one minute.
“There are several kids I’ve seen since kindergarten all the way into 5th grade who I have connections with,” she said. “When I see them in the hallways, they’ll give me a high five or run to give me a hug,” she continued.
What Willoughby said about her experience aligned with what Dr. Liggins said about the program.
“Once you come, I assure you, you will come back because it’s that magical,” he stated.
Dr. Liggins also noted that you do not have to have a child in the FCPS system to become a volunteer.
*If you’d like more information about volunteer opportunities with FCPS, click here: Volunteering in FCPS - Fayette County Public Schools
