As I am sure you are all aware by now, the South Bend Community School Corporation is asking for everyone’s help in bringing 6,000 mentors into our buildings to work one-on-one with individual students. I truly believe every child at the primary level can benefit from a mentor. Since I have been in South Bend, I have been meeting with community individuals and encouraging them to get involved by mentoring or reading to a child.
Currently, our mentoring program has close to 300 mentors and the Read to a Child program has around 900 volunteers. Those numbers have been pretty steady, but our needs are so much greater than what the current level of mentors and readers can accommodate. We would like to have a business partner for each primary center, which will give business employees the chance to see the growth and impact they can have on children or even on the school as a whole. School Corporation employees are also encouraged to sign up as a mentor or to read to a child. They will be released for one hour a week to go out and serve that child without loss of wages or taking time away from lunch. |
