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College Mentors for Kids

University students work with students from local grade schools

A new group on Grounds is working to connect University students with first through sixth grade students from local elementary schools, joining a nationwide effort to lend a helping hand to young kids.

Launched Oct. 1, though it began organizing last semester, the University chapter of College Mentors for Kids has already paired 40 University students with elementary student companions.

After hearing about the organization from a friend at a different university, fourth-year Engineering student Sam Rossiello decided to kickstart the program on Grounds.

“I wanted to start up the CIO because I felt that although there are some mentoring programs [which] exist on Grounds, that there is still need for mentoring for youths in the Charlottesville community,” Rossiello said.

College Mentors for Kids is a growing nonprofit in the United States, with chapters on 26 college campuses.

“Our mission is to connect college students to give to kids who need it most,” fourth-year College student and mentor Julia Downs said.

The group's central goal differs from other mentoring groups, fourth-year College student Mathew Samuel said

“Our main goal is to get our little buddies excited for the future and have them set goals that they can strive for through an exposure to a broad group of activities," Samuel said.

The group also aims to show students the importance and value of education and make them excited about school.

“Through weekly after-school activities, mentors show kids the importance of trying harder in school and help them understand higher educational opportunities,” Downs said.

Students from Clark Elementary School are bussed to Grounds once a week to meet with their assigned mentors. Every Wednesday, the pairs participate in extracurricular activities and engage with different groups on Grounds, ranging from the chemistry club to the football team.

“I believe that there is a need to provide mentors that both show kids why they should bother learning, instead of just telling them what to do, and also expose them to the many experiences that these kids may not be able to experience,” Samuel said.

Members aim to become role models for their assigned grade schoolers.

"We're all busy with exams, papers and other things that come up, but serving as a mentor means that you will be the constant presence in an elementary school buddy's life and be someone that they can look up to," Samuel said.

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