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Community Corner

Palmer Encourages Volunteerism in Renton Schools

Renton schools are in need of more adult volunteers.

Sometimes the difference between a successful child and a child that drops out of school is an adult volunteer who takes the time to listen.  In Renton, that adult is often a mentor from Communities In Schools of Renton.

Marcie Palmer first became aware of the mentor program when her son was in the first grade.  She happened to be volunteering at the school when a young boy who seemed destined for failure was assigned a mentor.  Palmer was so impressed with the boy’s improvement she went in search of a mentor for another troubled child.  She was told there wasn’t one available. 

“I was shocked,” she says.  “How could there not be one available?”

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Never one to retreat from a challenge, Palmer solved the problem herself by going out and actively recruiting mentors for the program.  Palmer’s can-do attitude may come from the fact that she grew up moving back and forth between Portland and Seattle because of her father’s job. 

“We moved around so much, I realized I had to be the one to make the effort,” she says.  “I couldn’t just sit back and wait for people to come to me.”

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Palmer earned a degree in Communications from Washington State University and went on to work in the hospitality field, real estate and sales.  But when she had her first child, she hung up her briefcase to be a stay-at-home mom (and volunteer).

“My sister and I began volunteering at the Humane Society, taking the dogs out to exercise and socialize,” she says.

Once Palmer’s oldest son entered kindergarten, she joined the PTA, eventually serving two years as president.  Then she began volunteering half days in the classroom, something she would continue to do for 12 years as both her boys worked themselves through to graduation.  When her second boy was in kindergarten, Palmer decided to put her money where her mouth was and signed up to become a mentor. 

“These kids have no clue as to what might be considered normal, so I try to give them a glimpse of what life can be,” she said.

But when her first student was removed from the mentorship program by her mother, Palmer realized she couldn’t solve every problem.

“I’ve learned to hold them lightly,” she says.

Undeterred, today Palmer mentors two girls, spending an hour with each girl every week.  Although the commitment is big, she says, “I get more out of working with them than I give.”

But Palmer does more than mentor.  She’s served for the past eight years on Renton’s City Council; on the Kennydale Neighborhood Association Board; and the Renton Airport Advisory Committee, helping to develop the airport’s first business plan. 

“That was my biggest challenge," she said. "The homeowners and the airport people were really split and didn’t like each other.”

Fortunately, Palmer’s can-do attitude scored again when she invited everyone to her home so the group would be on equal footing.

“It was amazing,” she says, “Suddenly, they came together for a common goal.”

Over the years, Palmer has chaired fundraising campaigns and served on dinner committees, but one volunteer moment stands out.  It was back when she was walking fifth-grade students to a McKnight Middle School orientation and a young foster child named Tyrone took her hand and said, “Mrs. Palmer, would you adopt me?”

Palmer gets teary-eyed when she thinks of that moment.  Clearly, she’d made a positive impact on that boy – once again proving that when adults take the time to volunteer in our schools, it can make all the difference in the world to a struggling child.

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