Why donate money to Cluster Tutoring? One reason is 10-year-old Derrick.

Derrick started at Cluster as a 1st grader. In the three years he and his tutor, Amy, have worked together, he has improved three grade levels in reading. “When we are together, Derrick uses his tutoring time really well,” Amy said. “We are really making a difference!”

Making a difference is what Cluster is all about. In the last school year, nearly 90 percent of Cluster third graders were at grade level or above in reading. All high schoolers are on track to graduate on time.

Tuesday, Nov. 29, is known as “Giving Tuesday.” This year, Cluster has teamed up with #ILGive, which is a giving platform being used by many nonprofits to raise money. Our goal is to raise $30,000 during the holiday season.

Cluster is a nonprofit volunteer organization with a small staff. But it still costs $1,000 per student to provide a year of programming for tutor-student pairs. While Cluster solicits and receives grants from various philanthropic groups, those funds don’t cover all of our costs. Here are some examples of how your donations will help students:

• Your $1,000 gift provides one-to-one tutoring and mentoring for a young person for a full academic year.
• Your $500 gift helps five high school students pursue their college and career goals through Project Next Step.
• Your $100 donation supports a student being tutored and mentored for a month.
• Your $50 donation will help us run a new Summer Reading Program to close the achievement gap.

To donate, click the link here. That will take you to Cluster’s page at #ILGive with directions on how to donate.

So go ahead. Make a contribution. Do it on Giving Tuesday, Nov. 29, or even before. Do it for Derrick and the other 115 students who benefit from Cluster Tutoring.