History

Healthy Cities Tutoring began in 1996 as a dream of school and community leaders seeking to support children and families in San Carlos. This intergenerational program was piloted at one elementary school in early 1997 and quickly expanded to provide support to struggling students at seven schools in the San Carlos School District.

In January of 2014, services were initiated at Clifford School in the Redwood City School District. Healthy Cities Tutoring was invited by the school principal to support the at-risk students in kindergarten through eighth grade. In 2015 services were expanded to Connect Community Charter School and Fair Oaks Community School in Redwood City in partnership with the Sheriff’s Activity League.

501(c)(3) Nonprofit Established

Healthy Cities Tutoring was administered by the City of San Carlos for the first thirteen years. Due to increased budget demands placed on both the City of San Carlos and the San Carlos School District, the program lost most of its funding in June,  2011. The community and its many supporters did not want the program to disappear with the loss of funding.

Recognizing the significant need for the program for the hundreds of children and families that benefit from the one-on-one support provided by the community volunteers, the program was reestablished as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in September 2011. Healthy Cities Tutoring is committed to ensuring every child has the support necessary to achieve their full potential; we know that their achievement creates a healthy, safe, and thriving community.
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Schools/Sites served 2024-2025

• Arundel Elementary School, San Carlos
• Brittan Acres Elementary School, San Carlos
• Heather Elementary School, San Carlos
• White Oaks Elementary School, San Carlos
• Arroyo Upper Elementary School, San Carlos
• Mariposa Upper Elementary School, San Carlos
• Central Middle School, San Carlos
• Tierra Linda Middle School, San Carlos
• San Carlos Charter Learning Center, San Carlos
• Clifford School, Redwood City
• Henry Ford Elementary School, Redwood City
• McKinley Middle School (MIT), Redwood City
• Taft Elementary School, Redwood City
• Siena Youth Center, Redwood City
  • Serving students from Adelante/Selby Lane (K-5), Kennedy Middle School (6-8), Kipp Community School (K-5) at the Siena Youth Center location

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Board of directors

• Irene Ruiz, President
• Daniel Guhr, Vice-President
• Dan Taylor, Treasurer
• Cynthia Fernandez-Rios, Secretary
• Jay Strauss, Immediate Past President
• Tyler Abe-Mysen, Board Member
• David Camarena, Board Member
• Michael Garb, Board Member

(from left: Daniel, Jay, Irene, Michael, Kerry (retired), Debbie (retired), Dan)

Redwood City Advisory Council

To help HCT understand the unique needs of Redwood City students we formed an advisory council in 2022/23. This council meets quarterly.

• Jose Aguirre, SAL-CARON Outreach Program Manager and HCT parent
• Elisa Chavez, RCT Collective Impact Coordinator
• Ivan Martinez, PAL Executive Director and district parent
• Florence Ortiz, RCEF Associate Manager
• Edgar Tenorio, Siena Youth Center Director

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Staff

• Georganne Morin, Executive Director
• Donna Becht, Founding Director
• J.R. Bae, Operations Manager
• Janelle Gibson, Program Coordinator
• Christine Levenson, Program Coordinator
• Emily McLuhan, Program Manager
• Alex Otis, Operations Coordinator
• Yvette Zelaya, Program Coordinator

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