A gift for the future
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on November 18, 2014 1:46 PM
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Sue Potter, right, helps Nasir Williams, 7, find a book about animals at the Boys and Girls Club. Mrs. Potter, 78, has volunteered at the club for more than 13 years and was recently named one of 12 national award winners of the 2014 Maytag Dependable Leader Award, which includes a $20,000 financial grant for the Boys & Girls Club to provide educational scholarships to club members.
A longtime volunteer at the Boys & Girls Club was named one of 12 national award winners for her demonstrated dedication to working with youths.
Sue Potter of Goldsboro, a retired chemistry and physics teacher, received the 2014 Maytag Dependable Leader Award, which includes a $20,000 financial grant for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Wayne County to provide educational scholarships to club members.
Mrs. Potter began volunteering at the club more than 14 years ago and has initiated and overseen a program encouraging club members to experiment with the magic of reading. She was nominated by Jo Heidenreich, club development director.
"I always know Sue has entered the building before ever seeing her through the excited reactions of the children," Mrs. Heidenreich said. "She has a wonderful way with our club members and sees things in them that others do not see.
"She provides the support, resources and guidance necessary to ensure they are proficient in reading, while also helping to narrow the gap between advantaged and disadvantaged kids."
Mrs. Potter, 78, was very humble about the honor.
"They gave this to me, but I'm just a small part," she said, crediting others who have provided books for distribution through the program -- churches, individuals and such organizations as Junior Woman's Club, Wayne Community College and Seymour Johnson Air Force Base. "This is a community effort.
"We try to get books into the home. We give the books to the children. They get to choose what they want. They take the books home and can keep them."
Another volunteer in the program, Nancy Smith, has been especially helpful, she said.
"I expect she finds most of the books," Mrs. Potter said. "There's hardly a day that goes by that she doesn't go out searching for books."
Their ultimate goal has been to instill an interest in reading in young people, she said.
"It's not so much that we teach them to read, but we try to teach them to love reading," she said. "We try to get the older children to read to their younger brothers and sisters at home.
"Hopefully, every child that comes into the Boys & Girls Club has at least a small collection of books that they have an interest in."
Mrs. Potter said she has enjoyed getting to work with the youth at the club over the years, even keeping in touch some of those she met since she first started volunteering in 2000.
"I always say I have more fun than anybody," she said with a laugh.
This is not the first time the retired educator has been recognized for her efforts with youth.
In 2011, she was presented with the CARE, Children Are Reason for Excellence, award from the North Carolina Area Council of Boys & Girls Clubs of America.
She had initially been a tutor for high school students, but set her sites elsewhere after finding herself on Royall Avenue one day behind a stopped school bus. Seeing all the children spilling out to go to the Boys & Girls Club, she said she was struck by the idea that she might be able to help.
She began pitching in to help students complete their homework, then started collecting books and distributing them to the children. She personally developed a network for stocking the club's library, with her requesting the books, picking them up, organizing them and sharing them with club members.
Throughout the school year, Mrs. Potter volunteers an average of 20 to 25 hours each month, working one-on-one with 60 to 70 club members between ages 6 and 14, helping them learn new vocabulary and improving their reading levels. She also collects and shares books with those who may not need the one-on-one attention but have an interest in reading.
During the 2013-14 school year, her efforts reached 234 club members who read 2,902 books, an average of 12 books per student, Mrs. Heidenreich said.
"Sue's in-kind contribution of volunteer hours, incredible talents and public advocacy to collect reading materials has been an invaluable asset to our club," she said. "Not only is she reliable and dependable, she also inspires, motivates and positively impacts our club members and expands their possibilities for success in school and life."