LINKS (Looking Into Needs of Kids and Schools) will honor its more than 100 volunteers from the 2009-10 school year at an appreciation event with refreshments and a raffle at 1 p.m. Tuesday, May 25 at the Lake Washington School District’s (LWSD) Resource Center in downtown Redmond.

LINKS volunteers are community members who spend time helping students in the LWSD either one-on-one or in small groups. Some volunteers are lunch buddies, others provide homework help or just some extra encouragement for students who may be new to the area, struggling academically or otherwise in need of support.

This school year, 104 LINKS volunteers were placed in 26 schools serving grades K-12 in Redmond, Kirkland and Sammamish. Collectively, they logged more than 1,050 volunteer hours this school year.

Sixty one of the volunteers worked one-on-one with students and 43 worked with more than one student.

“We’d like to increase the number of volunteers next year to meet the demand for mentors and academic support,” said LINKS program coordinator Nanci Wehr. “Despite having 100-plus volunteers this year, there were 60-plus unmet needs in the schools that were not filled due to lack of volunteers.”

LINKS volunteers do not have to be parents in the LWSD. They can volunteer for as little as one hour a week.

Those interested in learning more about LINKS volunteer opportunities can contact Nanci Wehr at (425) 702-3410 or links@lwsd.org.