Across the Illinois Valley, students are getting free, one-on-one help from someone who knows what it’s like to be in their shoes.

La Salle-Peru Township High School junior Ryne Bubela, 16, runs the Illinois Valley Learning Hub, a volunteer tutoring program that offers free academic help to elementary and middle school students.

What began a couple of years ago as a way to earn volunteer hours toward L-P’s gold cord program eventually became something more meaningful.

“After I started tutoring, I realized I was making an impact and actually having an effect on my community,” Bubela said.

Since then, he’s tutored about 20 students from local schools, including Waltham Elementary School in Utica, Lincoln Junior High School in La Salle, Parkside Middle School in Peru and the Academy of St. Carlos Acutis.

Most of his students are in elementary school, but he’s also helped several middle school students, including one eighth grader who needed to pass his U.S. Constitution test to graduate.

“Ryne got my son through his Constitution test with ease,” said Gina Aleksy of Peru, whose son Logan was among Bubela’s students. “He was friendly, kind and easy to contact. I can’t say enough about him as a tutor.”

Bubela meets students mainly at the Peru Public Library or the Illinois Valley YMCA, working one-on-one in hourlong sessions on math, reading and other subjects.

The sessions are completely free – something Bubela said was important to him from the start.

Born in Alabama and raised in Missouri before moving to the Illinois Valley in second grade, Bubela said he’s grateful for the support of his teachers and parents, and he wants to give that same encouragement to others.

“When I was younger, I had a teacher who stayed after class to help me out with multiplication,” he said. “That always stuck with me. So now I just want to do the same for other kids.”

The project adds to an already-packed schedule for Bubela, who is involved in Science Club, student council, Mock Trial, varsity soccer and tennis. He’s also a three-time state champion in 4-H robotics, president of his 4-H Club, a YMCA lifeguard, and he spent last summer as a paralegal intern at a local law office.

However, he said, the time he spends tutoring is worth it, no matter how packed his schedule can get.

“It’s definitely a time commitment,” Bubela said. “But I don’t view it as work. It adds to who I am in our community, and I honestly enjoy the process.”

Looking ahead, Bubela hopes to expand the Illinois Valley Learning Hub by recruiting more tutors and reaching more students.

“I’ve always wanted to make a difference in some way,” he said. “If I can help even one kid feel more confident in school, that’s what it’s all about for me.”

For more information, visit the Learning Hub’s website or email freetutoringkids@gmail.com.