To help alleviate the additional burden put on healthcare workers due to the ongoing pandemic, a group of Diamond Bar High School students started Ivy Service Tutoring, a club that donates all of its proceeds to local hospitals, clinics and charities.

“A company called Ivymax recruited a group of students from different schools, including myself, and suggested that we start a tutoring club to help frontline COVID workers,” president and rising senior Breanna Yang said via Messenger.

IvyMax is a tutoring company that currently operates in nine cities throughout California.  While the company had a heavy-hand in recruiting students for Ivy Service Tutoring, it does not influence Ivy Service Tutoring’s finances or operations.

The club currently has 17 tutors, 5 of whom attend DBHS, and 14 students located in both the United States and China.  They cover both common courses, like math, and electives like dance and art.

“Many of our members have family and friends in China,” Yang said. “We have taught students located in both America and China on a variety of subjects, including math, English, arts, music and science.”

Ivy Service Tutoring finds new students through WeChat, word of mouth and other social media accounts. These students register through their website, emailing the club or by contacting club leadership.

“We have…already donated $500 to PIH Whittier Hospital and will soon be donating $500 to another charity,” Yang said. 

Each tutoring session costs $10 and is roughly an hour long. With over $1,000 raised, this means that club members have volunteered for more than 100 hours so far.

“Overall, it’s been great,” rising senior Patrick Zhuang, a tutor, said via Messenger. “Everyone there is very dedicated to the club and willing to help it grow.”

Zhuang initially learned about Ivy Service Tutoring through an acquaintance and was particularly drawn to the club’s mission.

“Currently, my only duty is to tutor students, but that may change in the future,” Zhuang said. “The thing I enjoy the most about Ivy Service Tutoring is being able to give back to the community, whether it be with the knowledge we spread through tutoring, or through funds and supplies donated to local clinics that need them”

According to secretary Derek Shiu, a rising senior at DBHS, Ivy Service Tutoring hopes to raise $5,000. After the COVID-19 pandemic, the club will continue operating, but instead donating to different causes.