Khari Milner in a video screen capture. (Image: Coseboc via YouTube)

The 60th anniversary celebration of Tutoring Plus will be simpler than the Mardi Gras-themed gala of a decade ago, but organizers still hope to draw attendees and fundraise for the nonprofit.

The organization started in 1964 when a group of mothers from the Roberts school – now the Fletcher Maynard Academy – reached out to MIT students to ask if they would tutor and mentor their children. Today, Tutoring Plus provides free one-on-one tutoring to 126 students in grades 4-12 at six locations: three in public housing projects, two at community centers and one at a school. Tutoring Plus also offers a Math Plus enrichment program to 80 Cambridge students across three sites, and a BlocksCAD coding program.

The fundraiser celebration is from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday at 65 Franklin St., Cambridgeport. Food and drink will be provided by Bar Enza, the fine Italian restaurant in Harvard Square. There is a suggested donation of $25.

The celebration will honor Khari Milner, co-director of the Agenda for Children, leader of the Out-of-School Time Initiative and a Cambridge Public Schools administrator, for long-serving dedication to the children of Cambridge.

But there’s no overall festive theme – “the theme for this is ’60 years,’” said Jay Yesselman, a member of the Tutoring Plus board of directors, explaining the simplicity of the event compared with 10 years ago.

There will be fun to be had in themed tables that attendees can circulate among, though, including one that dares them: “Can you outsmart a fifth grader?”

In addition to educational enrichment, Tutoring Plus sees itself as providing positive adult role models. “Our tutors share a common desire to contribute to making the Cambridge Community a place where all are welcomed and supported to realize their potential,” Yesselman said.

Tutoring Plus recruits and trains tutors from in and around Cambridge to be able to teach and support students; a former tutor, Jacey Buel, became the organization’s executive director in 2022 after working at The Possible Project, in Cambridge Public Schools and for the domestic violence shelter Transition House.

“Our program is 100 percent free for all participants, which is invaluable as 83 percent of our students are economically disadvantaged, according to CPS data,” Buel said.

Tutoring Plus Board Member Christopher Kalisch spoke about the value of tutoring in a 2023 video: “The importance of respect, kindness, doing the best that you can, being the best that you can, asking for what you need … and also the ability to connect with an adult who’s not their teacher or parent.”

This post was updated March 19, 2024, to replace a photo.