AOK Mentoring & Tutoring began in 2003 on a grassroots level as a Howard County school-based mentor/tutoring program. An entirely volunteer-driven service, AOK began with a small number of volunteer mentors matched with students at a handful of locations and slowly expanded to meet the needs of more students at more schools.
In 2009, the program incorporated and it now supports a small, part-time staff to administer the program. Volunteerism is the foundation on which the organization is built and it is the consistency of an adult relationship that the volunteers bring that is the crucial ingredient to helping the students served succeed in school and beyond. |
Our FounderChaya Kaplan, MSW. Chaya was a retired pediatric social worker and parent educator. She began mentoring children in 1970 and co-founded AOK in 2003. Chaya retired as the Executive Director of the organization leaving a legacy of devotion to serving children in our community.
Chaya received for herself and on behalf of A-OK, four community awards (2009 ACS, Audrey Robbins Humanitarian Award Volunteer of the Year, 2013 The Howard County Board of Education Friends of Education, 2014 Rotary of Columbia/Patuxent-Community Service Above Self, 2015 Casey & Pebble Willis "Making a Difference") and other lesser known recognition awards. She appreciated the recognition, but in her selfless way acknowledged others. Chaya Kaplan passed away in February 2024. Her obituary can be found here. |