April 16-22 is National Volunteer Appreciation Week. So we wanted to take this opportunity to highlight five of our many hundreds of amazing Jericho volunteers.

Dewey Strohmeyer, Tutor, S.A.Y. Yes! After-school Center

How long have you been a tutor at Jericho? I’ve been tutoring students in math since November 2014, after retiring from many years of service as a math teacher (mostly high school, some middle school). I also began to volunteer at about that same time at another after-school tutoring program, and I am still involved in both.

How often to you serve? I serve at S.A.Y. Yes! on Mondays and Tuesdays. After my first year, I also helped as a tutor during the summer of 2015, but haven’t continued with the summer tutoring.

Why did you choose Pathways Danbury Youth Ministries/S.A.Y. Yes! as the ministry where you volunteer? Because S.A.Y. Yes is a Christ-centered ministry – motivated by the love of God in Christ for each individual. “Transforming a city – one life at a time” is an ambitious goal (it should be!), and one that fits someone like me, who prefers to work one-on-one with those I might be able to help. S.A.Y. Yes seeks to reach “at risk” kids, helping them achieve the goal of graduation. This involvement in the lives of so many kids can make a real difference for them, and I am glad to be a part of it.

What about serving here touches your heart the most? Seeing kids succeed and knowing that, along with many others, I may have played a part, is very rewarding.