Meet a volunteer: Helen Cooluris
“We think of her as an angel dropped down from heaven,” says Vincent Chao of his school volunteer, Helen Cooluris. Helen has been volunteering at Visitacion Valley Elementary School since 2007, when she first decided to put her skills as a licensed psychologist to use for the good of public school students.
For two years, Helen has provided students with grief counseling, anger management counseling, and conflict resolution skills. She makes herself available to students three days a week, even making home visits to consult teachers and parents on behalf of students with special needs. An active participant in school meetings, “she has provided invaluable insight and ideas on how to help our at-risk students; she is always willing to take responsibility for action items to support the student or their family,” says Chao.
In addition to her counseling services, Helen instituted and supervises a recess chess club for fourth and fifth graders at Vis Valley Elementary.
According to Chao, “Helen has made our school a better place for students, meaning our school is a better place for parents, teachers, and the community too.”
