Message from the Executive Director

Welcome to Bound Together!

For 25 years, Bound Together has provided tutoring, friendship and community to children and their families in Pontiac, founded in 1994 by parishioners at All Saints Episcopal Church in Pontiac as a response to the needs of students in a neighboring school. Bound Together has since become an independent non-profit partnering with All Saints, other area churches, civic and government agencies to provide tutoring, a hot evening meal, as well as enrichment programming in art and healthy lifestyle to twenty-five elementary students.

The heart of Bound Together, though, is in its name.  Fifty to seventy five adults volunteer every week during the academic year, and are committed not just to phonics and long division (though we’re pretty focused on that!) but also to relationship.  Our goal is to have one-to-one tutoring ratios, with regular assignments that foster warmth, trust and friendship with students and families.  We’re a community, investing in the lives of children as we work together – kids, parents, and mentors – to provide a platform for success and for joy. (Lots of joy!)

You may be new to Bound Together, and so that gives us something in common – I became the Executive Director in mid-June, and have both the gift and the challenge of following in Jane Porter’s (aka “Ms. Jane”s!) much-loved footsteps.  If you are an old friend, this is my opportunity to send you a heartfelt “thank you”, and to make the observation that this program’s core is the passion and dedication of its many supporters and volunteers, in all of the many capacities they serve.  Whether old friend or new:  please be in touch at director@boundtogetherpontiac.org, and I’ll look forward to hearing from you.

25 years is quite a milestone, and we’ll be letting you know about plans to celebrate Bound Together’s impact as the program year unfolds – the excitement about those report cards, the goals set and accomplished long past elementary school, and the stories of how everyone’s lives have changed over snacks and homework. We’re also looking toward what the next 25 years might have in store and where our kids will lead us — and we would be thrilled to share that journey with you.

So, once again:  welcome to Bound Together!

Warmest regards –

Michele