Cool Kids Campaign To Provide Free Tutoring For Cancer Patients
TOWSON, Md. (WJZ)—Families with children battling cancer soon realize that their child quickly falls behind in school. Now, as Mike Schuh reports, a first-of-its-kind program in the country is getting ready to open in Towson.
Emily Glenn's cancer is in remission, but when she was fighting hard, her school work in Fallston suffered. Her classmates nearly continued on to the next grade without her. With all that was going on, her parents would have loved a tutoring program.
"I was sort of worried about when I was going to get on my grades and stuff," Emily said.
A nonprofit is close to opening just such a tutoring center for cancer kids.
Artist Kelli Nemer is donating part of her fee to turn office space into a nice place.
"I think this will be a really fun place to be when you're coming to spend time," Nemer said.
It's taken two years and a $100,000 to get this far. This idea of free tutoring for cancer kids is hard to believe it's the only one of its kind in the country.
"It really is such a simple concept, but the best concepts are simple," said Sharon Perfetti, Cool Kids Learning Center. "You look at the successes in a lot of areas of life, and a well thought out simple idea wins every time. It does and there's such a great need for this. They just don't have the money to go out and pay for the private tutors. And they've got so many other things going on in their lives, worry about their kids, their schedule, their kids' schedule, the doctors, the chemo. ... We're ready to go."
With 500 kids in our area who are getting cancer care, the worry: Demand will outstrip their ability to provide.
"You just have to decide you're going to get it done and let nothing distract you from that," Perfetti said.
Right now the Cool Kids Campaign is looking for qualified volunteers to add to their list of tutors. Click here for more information.
