Riverside Education Centers celebrates 20 years of community service

Founder Mary Spirio started what became Riverside Education Centers after volunteering with Hurricane Katrina relief; REC began in 2006 with about a dozen students and a $5,000 donation and now serves more than 1,300 students across 15 sites with a $3.5 million operating budget.

Riverside Education Centers is marking its 20th anniversary after growing from a small tutoring effort into a multi-site nonprofit serving the Grand Valley. The organization began when teacher Mary Spirio volunteered in Hurricane Katrina relief in 2005 and returned home to create a tutoring center in the Riverside neighborhood in 2006. Spirio secured space from the Riverside Task Force, gathered supplies and volunteers, and started with about a dozen students and a $5,000 donation. Over two decades REC expanded its work to include academic tutoring, enrichment activities, outdoor programs, and support for families and caregivers. Key facts: - REC began after Mary Spirio’s 2005 volunteer work for Hurricane Katrina and opened in 2006 with roughly a dozen students and an initial $5,000 donation. - By 2015 REC was serving more than 135 students with an operating budget of about $278,000. - As of the article, REC serves more than 1,300 students at 15 sites and has an operating budget of $3.5 million. - Programming now covers K–12 academic tutoring, enrichment and extracurricular activities, outdoor experiences, and family engagement and support services. - Leadership has included founder Mary Spirio, former Executive Director Joy Hudak, and current Executive Director Jack Curry. - Spirio left REC in 2015, worked in higher education and abroad, returned in 2021 to manage secondary programs at seven sites, and in 2023 shifted to supporting graduates’ transitions to post-secondary paths. Summary: Over 20 years REC grew from a single-site tutoring center into a network serving thousands of students and providing broader supports to families in the Riverside neighborhood and beyond. The organization expanded its mission from after-school academics to include enrichment, outdoor programming, and transition support for older students. Leadership has evolved while maintaining continuity of services. Undetermined at this time.