It’s high time we took a moment to celebrated another awesome BWorks volunteer! We’ve been so glad to have Judah Grupe helping out in some recent Earn-A-Computer classes. After first reaching out to us about getting involved several months ago, Judah happily agreed to help our staff teacher Mark Smith launch a pilot course at Julia Davis Library’s brand-new Creative Experience space in St. Louis’ Penrose neighborhood.

“I was looking for a program to spend my free time on when I stumbled on BWorks,” Judah explains. “When I saw it combined two of my favorite things — bicycles and computers — I knew I had to get involved.”

Judah says perhaps the thing he’s enjoyed most so far is all of the fantastic people he’s met through BWorks, from fellow volunteers and staff to the kids in the classes. He’s also been struck by moments where things really start to click for students when it comes to course concepts such as internet safety and basic coding.

“Seeing the kids start to understand the concepts we were teaching [in Earn-A-Computer] and be able to troubleshoot their Scratch programs … I can definitely see them developing these skills into fulfilling careers,” Judah says.

He encourages fellow St. Louis-area residents to stop by BWorks at an upcoming volunteer orientation (first Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m.!) to inquire about getting involved. Potential volunteers can also reach out to evie@bworks.org to learn more.