There is a lot of behind-the-scenes volunteer work that goes on at Santa Fe Public Schools. Take that garden in front of the administration building off Alta Vista Street. All of the flowers and plants were donated by volunteers, including Newman's Nursery, Santa Fe Greenhouses and Lowe's. Oh, and don't forget that special hibiscus.

"It meant so much to her," said Helen Pacheco, the volunteer coordinator for Santa Fe Public Schools, of the woman who donated it.

Inside the building, there is a sculpture of a child reading, loaned to the district by Meyer Gallery.

All of these people and businesses are special to Pacheco. Every volunteer who has given time, money or products to the district is indispensable, Pacheco said. And now she's on a mission to find more people like this.

She's stepping up recruitment efforts and calling on the community to donate to help volunteers pay for background checks, which cost about $25 out of their own pockets. Just a few weeks ago, County Commissioners Harry Montoya and Virginia Vigil each gave $500 of county discretionary funds to help offset the cost.

Longtime volunteers with Santa Fe Public Schools recommend the experience.

"There is a need, and it is our responsibility to help kids — especially so they could advance their education," said volunteer Ethel Trujillo. "I see it a lot that the kids are not getting enough help at home, and the teachers can't do it all."

Ten years ago, Trujillo was reading The New Mexican when she came across an article about HOSTS — Helping One Student To Succeed — a program that Pacheco then ran from Sweeney Elementary School. Trujillo picked up the phone and gave Pacheco a ring.

"I had worked for the schools, and she got me in right away," Trujillo said as she sat in her cozy living room with classical music playing in the background. "I worked with (HOSTS) for about seven years until that program died down."

Although she kept volunteering at other places, such as the Southside Branch Library and both her prayer shawl groups, she didn't volunteer with Santa Fe Public Schools again until recently.

Before classes started for the 2009-2010 school year, Pacheco, who had just started work as the district's volunteer coordinator, gave Trujillo a call to ask if she was still interested in volunteering. A revived HOSTS program is now based at César Chávez Community School, headed by Debby Maas.

"I started again with the volunteering as a tutor," Trujillo explained. She volunteers two hours a day, twice a week in a third-grade classroom at Piñon Elementary School, doing various tasks for the teacher.

"Every day that I go, it's a little bit different," Trujillo said happily. "Sometimes its one-to-one and sometimes it's language arts, sometimes it's math — it's always something different.

"When I walk in, I get the warmest welcome from the kids and the teacher both," Trujillo added. "There is a connection between the teacher, the volunteer and the student."

She's happy to be back with the kids after her retirement from working as a cafeteria manager in several of the district's schools.

Volunteering was something she and her husband always used to do together. Her husband, the late Julian Trujillo, was an active volunteer with the HOSTS program. Together the couple also helped shelve books at the Southside Branch Library.

"He always had too much fun," Trujillo remembered with a smile.

When he died two years ago, Trujillo continued to volunteer. She continued to work with the Southside Branch Library, where she volunteers every Wednesday; she works with the elderly — something she's done for more than 30 years; and now with the schools. It's what helps her get through those days when she is sad because she misses him, she said. "After losing my husband, I do have bad days," she said.

One of those days happened a few weeks ago.

"I woke up, and I was just feeling down," Trujillo said. "I really didn't feel like going, but I forced myself to go, and I knew that once I came out of there that I would feel better."

That day she had an encounter with a boy who was being mean to the other children. She disciplined him and feared he would be upset with her, but the opposite happened.

"He kept asking for my help," she said with a smile. "He didn't hold it against me. I came out of there and said, 'I knew there was a reason I had to go.' It changed my whole attitude."

She was particularly happy because she knew she had reached that little boy.

"You can tell when you've touched a child," Trujillo said.

Retired elementary teacher Valerie Hamilton has been hooked on the HOSTS program for just over six years. The thing she loves about the HOSTS program is that one does not have to have teaching experience to be a successful mentor.

"The program is organized so that the lessons that are taught to the children are accessible to any one of the tutors," Hamilton said.

The longtime teacher taught second through fifth grades for "many decades" all over the country, including Boston, Cincinnati and Baltimore. She also taught abroad in Caracas, Venezuela. She's happy to have found a program where she can work with children again.

"It's just so overwhelmingly gratifying," Hamilton said with a big smile. "I think it's a very good use of your volunteer time. You're really making a difference, and I think for most adults, interaction with kids is a great thing. They just give a lot back simply by being who they are."

To get involved with Santa Fe Public Schools volunteer programs or to make a donation, call Pacheco at 467-2050. There is something for everybody, Pacheco said. Volunteers who can donate their time will be able to work with any age group, any content area and in any type of classroom — including special-needs classrooms.

"It's an extra hand in the classroom," Pacheco said. "Research has shown that those kids who have had volunteers helping scored higher academically and the volunteer felt a little bit better about themselves."

Pacheco will recognize all her volunteers and donors at an event from 4 to 6 p.m. April 29 at the Santa Fe Community Convention Center.

"Every little bit the volunteers do, it does make a difference," Trujillo said. "When I went in to help the kids I didn't realize how much satisfaction I was going to get out of it. I just hope that I'll make a difference in their life."

Contact Ana Maria Trujillo at 986-3084 or atrujillo@sfnewmexican.com.