The pandemic has forced community service club Kids2Kids to change its typical in-person volunteering to virtual tutoring. 

Diamond Bar High School club officers have had to make some major adjustments in order to comply with new health and safety guidelines. Kids2Kids usually  travels to Evergreen and Castle Rock three days a week to volunteer at the afterschool called Fun Club, however, due to health and safety concerns brought on by the pandemic, that is not possible at this time. Despite these major changes, the club wants to offer virtual tutoring services and is actively planning new activities for their members. 

“We’re planning on tutoring kids online, collaborating with Sunshine Club,” club president junior Naomi Wong said via Facebook. “We also are planning to have a boba fundraiser to support our club and other foundations in need.”

A portion of the money raised from the fundraiser will go to the St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital and Sunshine Club at DBHS. It will be held at Machi Tea Bar located on Grand Avenue. 

Kids2Kids reached out to elementary schools offering its  tutoring services, which will be conducted over Zoom calls. Members can sign up for tutoring by filling out a Google form that lists which subjects they would be willing to teach. The parents or guardians of the elementary school child will then fill out a Google form explaining how old the child is and what subjects they need a tutor for. The volunteers from Kids2Kids will then be matched with a child based on the subject. 

While the details regarding the continuation of usual plans are not completely worked out yet, the club is planning on having volunteers join a Zoom call with the children in Fun Club. This will give volunteers an opportunity to directly communicate with the kids.

Furthermore, club officers reported that they are planning on making YouTube videos for elementary school students. These videos will cover a wide range of topics from arts and crafts to mathematics and English grammar. 

Despite working remotely,  Kids2Kids has recruited 83 new members and has come up with ideas for new activities. In addition, they have planned fundraisers to fund any future activities. Wong said that despite the challenges they are facing, the club is doing relatively well.

Each officer has their own goals concerning what they want to accomplish for the club over distance learning. The overall consensus is to raise money and attract new club members. 

The club’s treasurer, senior Stephanie Pan, is working toward organizing future fundraisers.  

“As the secretary for K2K club, my goal this year is to seek out more opportunities for our members to gain more hours,” Pan said. “Currently, I am thinking of planning a day where members can gain an hour for posting themselves wearing blue on their Instagram/Facebook stories.”

Officers recommend that anybody who has an interest in childcare should sign up for Kids2Kids. 

“I think if you are looking towards a job in education, joining Kids2Kids would be a great place to test whether teaching is the right job for you,” Pan said. “Working with a young age group is always hard, but if you have the patience, it can be extremely rewarding!”