Here’s how a Fort Worth-area intern served children during the coronavirus pandemic
Since the 1970s, Girls Inc. of Tarrant County has been serving girls from low-income households. When the pandemic hit in March, that help came to a halt.
After-school programs such as the Literacy Initiative, the Economic Initiative and Media Literacy couldn’t continue for the girls who relied on them.
In April, when these programs were moved online, then-intern Ashley Tetteh was one of the first to volunteer to teach virtually in the Literacy Program by reading books with girls in kindergarten through third grade.
For Tetteh, canceling the programs until in-person programs could resume was not an option. While virtual classes aren’t the same as that in-person interaction, they are better than nothing, she said. Usually the girls in these programs want to get away from their homes for a bit and socialize with others.
Tetteh, a recent graduate of UT Arlington, interned at Girls Inc. from January until about August. She said she will cherish the memories of getting to know the girls and interacting with them on a daily basis.
“The connection that we had was really important to them,” Tetteh said.
Girls Inc. didn’t stop just at making programs available. The organization also held outreach events such as snow cone day and giving out literacy packets, Tetteh said.
Jane Mathis, program director with Girls Inc., said when the organization needed people to continue leading classes, Tetteh was one of the first to offer. She would do anything to make sure the girls had what they needed.
“She would shape herself into a pretzel,” Mathis said.
Because of Tetteh’s dedication for the girls, Mathis nominated her for recognition in the Star-Telegram’s Hometown Heroes series, which highlights people and their work during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hometown Heroes is sponsored by Lockheed Martin, which is providing $1,000 each to the 28 people selected by the Star-Telegram to be featured in the weekly series.
During a time where it seems there’s bad news everywhere, Tetteh made sure kids could get away away from the stress of living during a pandemic and find an outlet.
“She brought us a lot of joy,” Mathis said.
There was one time where Tetteh acted out the letters of a word and the kids would have to guess what she was acting out, Mathis said. For a couple of hours, the girls were able to have fun again.
Jennifer Trevino, the chief development officer, said the passion and energy interns like Tetteh bring to the organization helped the girls get through uncertain times.
To have someone like Tetteh continue to push the goals of the organization can’t be understated, Trevino said.
“So many of the girls appreciated having another adult care about them especially during COVID,” Trevino said.
To nominate a Hometown Hero
To nominate someone to be featured in the Hometown Heroes series, go to star-telegram.com/nominate.
This story was originally published October 18, 2020 at 5:45 AM.
