Homework Hotline needs donations

DAVIDSON COUNTY Money, volunteer tutors and pencils are still on Homework Hotline's wish list just days before resuming operation for the new school year on Monday. The agency, which serves children in Middle Tennessee, is short on its annual budget, director Wendy Kurland said. As a result, it cannot expand beyond its current 16 phone lines, pay additional teachers to answer calls and offer help in more foreign languages. "We're already turning away half of the callers," Kurland said. "We're filled to capacity almost every night of the year now. What we need to do is add more phone lines and teachers, and we don't have the money to do that now. That really worries me, because now the (academic) standards have changed." Homework Hotline's annual budget is $185,000, Kurland said, and the group is about three-quarters there. Its funding comes from various sources, including corporate sponsors, school districts, grants and donations. To donate money or volunteer to tutor, call 298-6636, visit www.homeworkhotline. info or e-mail homeworkhotline@earthlink.net. For homework help, call 298-6636 or toll-free 888-868-5777 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday.