For Schools2026-05-04T19:36:39-04:00

For Schools

Springfield School Volunteers (SSV) partners with schools to support student success through meaningful volunteer engagement. Our programs are designed to help students reach their highest potential academically and socially, while building strong connections with caring adults.

Our Programs & Services

  • School-Based Mentoring Program (Grades 1–12)
    Mentors work one-on-one or in small groups with students to support academic and social-emotional growth. Through consistent, positive relationships, mentors help students build confidence, stay engaged in school, and work toward goals aligned with SPS’ Portrait of a Graduate.

  • Read Aloud Program (Pre-K–Grade 5)
    Read Aloud volunteers visit classrooms monthly (October–February) to read pre-selected books. At the end of the program, books are donated to classroom libraries. Read Aloud program selection and volunteer request is managed through SSV’s annual Program Selection process. For more information, please contact Alexa Spath at smithal@springfieldpublicschools.com or by phone at 413-787-7100 ext. 55666.
  • General Volunteer Support
    Schools may request volunteers for a variety of roles, including classroom assistance, general academic support, or special events by completing a Volunteer Request Form.
  • Volunteer Application & Screening
    SSV also screens parents/community members interested in attending events or volunteering for other roles such as field trip chaperone, PTO, or career speakers. Individuals interested in volunteering at your school must be properly screened by completing the forms below.

Please help us expedite the process by ensuring that all forms are complete. For detailed guidance on submitting paperwork, requesting volunteers, and working with volunteers, please refer to our Contact Guide.

  • Fiscal Sponsorship
    Utilizing our nonprofit 501(c)(3) status, SSV serves as a fiscal agent to leverage funding and manage accounts that benefit students and the district as a whole. To learn more, please review our Fiscal Sponsorship Guidelines or contact Denise Cogman at cogmand@springfieldpublicschools.com.

Need Support?
If you would like support sharing information about our programs with your families or staff, or need assistance with any of our forms, please don’t hesitate to contact us at volunteer@springfieldpublicschools.com.

Volunteer Opportunities

Just one hour a week can make a difference in the life of a young student. Volunteers encourage students and inspire them to reach their potential.

Thank you for your interest! We are currently in need of Read Aloud Volunteers at all participating schools, and we are always accepting applications for our other programs. Please click the Sign Up Now button below to let us know the program(s) and school(s) you are interested in volunteering for. Visit the Forms page to complete a Volunteer Application and CORI form to get started or contact us to see if your current CORI is still valid.

Latest News from SSV

In Memoriam – Allene Begley Curto

Springfield School Volunteers mourns the passing of former board member Allene Begley Curto, whose decades of service helped shape and strengthen our organization and the community we serve.

Volunteer Spotlight

Role: Read Aloud Volunteer
School: Kensington International School

February’s Volunteer Spotlight features Gloireadieu (Glodie) Manyegezi, a senior from Springfield’s Central High School who has earned All-State honors in soccer. Glodie, who attended Kensington International Elementary School from 3rd through 5th grade, returned there as a Read Aloud volunteer through a partnership between Central High School’s Red Cross Club and Springfield School Volunteers. This partnership pairs high school students in Central’s Red Cross Club with classrooms at Kensington International Elementary School, where they volunteer once a month for the duration of the Read Aloud program, and has been exceptionally well-received by staff and students alike.

Glodie speaks fondly of his time at Kensington International. As someone who came to the United States as a child from another country, he describes the experience as instrumental to both his academic and personal growth. “It helped me develop and learn the language,” he shares.

Having once benefited from the Read Aloud program himself, Glodie now takes pride in returning to see former teachers and model fluent literacy for current students.

“My favorite part of Read Aloud is when the students are excited to see me,” Glodie says. “They ask questions about the book, but also about myself, and I can give them insight into what it’s like to be in high school.”

Glodie values Central High School’s commitment to service and gives special thanks to Mr. Jean Claude Gerlus, the Red Cross Club Advisor from Central High School and Mrs. Laurie Butt, our Read Aloud contact person at Kensington International, for sustaining the partnership. “It’s important to show the younger students that we used to be them, and we still care about them as people and their learning.”

This fall, Glodie hopes to attend the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, where he plans to study Chemical Engineering and continue dominating on the soccer field as a student-athlete.

Thank you to Glodie and all of the other members of Central High School’s Red Cross Club who shared their love of reading with students as Read Aloud volunteers this year!

Read More

“Thank you very much. I just wanted to say that helping in our schools has truly been a life changing event for me. I should be paying them for letting me help.”

– Don Dorn, Jr., Volunteer at Samuel Bowles School

Don Dorn, Jr., Volunteer at Samuel Bowles School

“I have been participating in the Read Aloud Program for the past 10 years and had planned to make this my last year, but my experience was so heartwarming and I loved every minute of [it.] I am anxious to return next month.”

– Marjorie Hurst, Volunteer

Marjorie Hurst, Volunteer

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Springfield School Volunteers

1550 Main Street, 3rd Floor
Springfield, MA 01103
413.787.7100 Ext. 55697

One hour a week CAN make a difference

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413.787.7100 Ext. 55697  |  volunteer@springfieldpublicschools.com

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