CL&P Tutors Spend Time with Students at East Hartford's John A. Langford Elementary School

The East Hartford School/Business Partnership was created over 20 years ago, uniting schools, businesses, organizations and families within the community to enhance education in the East Hartford Public Schools. Northeast Utilities, Pratt & Whitney and the East Hartford Chamber of Commerce were at the forefront of this important initiative and since then, they have been joined by other organizations working to enrich students' lives and broaden their opportunities.

The John A. Langford Elementary School is one of the partnership's original beneficiaries through the Langford Tutorial Program, which is still going strong today. For more than two decades, employees from NU and CL&P have provided weekly tutoring to Langford students in the areas of reading, math and computer skills.

Don Holmes, CL&P New Service senior consultant, has provided math tutoring to Langford students for 18 of the program's 21 years. Holmes works with small groups of two or three students throughout the year.

"I love doing it," he said. "It's really satisfying to know that you've helped these students — by the end of the year you really see results. And once in a while, I'll run into one of the kids I tutored on the street and they remember me."

In 2006, Holmes was honored with the Business Volunteer Award from the town of East Hartford.

David Hyatt, a senior sourcing consultant in Records and Compliance for NU is now in his second year as a tutor.

"I am an inner-city kid myself," explained Hyatt. "I wanted to find a way to get involved and give back — then I just fell in love with doing it." Hyatt provides tutoring in both reading and math to two students this year, one of whom was his student from last year. The two developed a tight bond and chose to continue working together.

"We tend to see ourselves as too busy to make a real difference in the world," says Hyatt. "But you really can have a micro-impact if you just focus on one child, or one school — if you are consistent, and if you truly care."

The Langford Tutorial Program provides an opportunity for CL&P and its employees to invest in the future of the students they tutor, the East Hartford community and the workforce of tomorrow — a winning situation for everyone involved.