Cumberland School Volunteers report: online signups and expanded RIF distributions

Cindy Thorsen, director of Cumberland School Volunteers, updated the Cumberland School Committee Sept. 11 on volunteer recruitment and program plans for the 2025–26 school year.

Thorsen said the volunteers worked with PTOs across the district to communicate a new requirement from the Cumberland Police Department that volunteers obtain BCI (background) clearance before serving in schools this year. “Hundreds of BCIs have been coming in,” she said, thanking Carrie Smith, Heather Schaeffer and school secretaries for help processing applications and IDs at backpack and meet‑and‑greet events.

The volunteers launched an online application and QR code to simplify sign‑ups; Thorsen said 40 people had already signed up online to help in classrooms, the Just Friends program and the Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) initiative. She told the committee the board of directors decided to expand RIF so every elementary school will receive three distributions, and she estimated the program would distribute about 6,800 books this year. “I already have 1,900 in inventory in the office right now, so we're ready to get started,” she said.

Thorsen also previewed Just Friends programming for fourth‑grade classrooms beginning in October and outlined a sequence of disability‑awareness units through December. She encouraged community members to volunteer and noted that established volunteers will help train new presenters on a scripted curriculum for working with fourth graders.

The committee thanked Thorsen for the update and recognized the PTOs and secretaries for streamlining volunteer enrollment.