FRANCES & WILLIAM KUNZ

What do teachers do when they retire? They volunteer to teach others!

William and Frances tutor culturally diverse students every week in the Homework In Progress Program as well as co-leading an English conversation Group every Saturday. Their contributions have been an integral part of the success of the Conversational English classes for Adults. Their tireless dedication allows adults to learn English and thereby enables them to lead a more productive life.

Mr. and Mrs. Kunz help lead an English Conversation Group on Saturday mornings. This group varies from week to week but usually consists of eight to twelve adults from various ethnic backgrounds. Conversations consist of many different topics; the goal is to increase the confidence level of these new speakers of English and to help them understand the idioms they hear but may not understand. The need for their services is great in Lakewood as the population continues to grow with many different cultures and languages. The elementary schools are now 40 percent diverse.

For over ten years Frances Kunz has volunteered for the Lakewood Branch and Point Pleasant Branches of the Ocean County Library. She has delivered materials to homebound customers, read books to people in a long-term health facility, and since the year 2000, tutored students in the Homework in Progress Program at the Lakewood Branch. Her husband, William, joined her in 2000 and also tutors students every week for a few hours. The H.I.P. program (Homework in Progress), which takes place after school hours from Monday – Friday has shown their devotion. Without their consistent and very reliable participation as tutors, certainly many of the students would not be as successful as they have become.

The unselfish commitment by these two exceptional people demonstrates volunteerism at it’s best.