It’s amazing what a difference you make when you pay attention to a child; when you build the village that helps to raise your beloved children. That’s what we’re doing in this longitudinal study, the first of its kind in the Dayton area, and actually, across the country. We have an avid, dedicated team of volunteers who are mentoring our group of our initial group of fifteen students, now seventeen kids. We meet once a month, and because of those regular meetings, a community is in development. In the first year, our Mentoring Director, Brittany Jones ran our meetings with a group of young adults who come up with brilliant, zany ways of interacting with our kids. Upon her graduation from UD, her sister, Becca became our Director of Mentoring. We are now in our third year, and the success our children have in creating this new community has been so rewarding.  It is amazing to watch our young children grow up- each meeting is just a joy filled gathering, and always most anticipated by child and family alike. We are now working with a very active, dedicated and wonderful intern staff from UD.

Each month, we gather and perform some type of community service as a collective whole. While our group engages in this activity, the mentors available will meet with individual students in order to determine academic and tutoring needs. We have a large number of tutors available, and coordinate the tutoring scenario as needed. We have seen incredible growth based on efforts made; many of our students have become much stronger in their studies, with at least three going up a letter grade, and with one of our students being made Student of the Month, to which her mother gives us much credit. All students in our study have an A-B average.

It is inspiring, it is exciting, it is a hands-on life interaction with children you grow to care for as your own. This study is now being followed by many area educators- especially by the administrators of the local schools we’re working with, and by DePaul University.