Woodmore Schools looking for mentors for TNT Program

By: 
Yaneek Smith

        Like many organizations, the Woodmore Local Schools’ division of the TNT (’Til Next Time) Mentoring Program was having great success before the coronavirus pandemic overtook the nation.
        Now, the school district, which currently has five mentors serving seven students, is looking for more mentors to help jumpstart the program. The program had approximately 30-35 mentors before the pandemic. Part of the reason so many mentors have left is because a good portion of them were senior citizens, who are at the greatest risk of getting seriously ill from COVID-19, said Dawn Schling, the new director for Woodmore’s chapter.
        “I have 16 potential mentees,” said Schling, who works in the district as a bus driver. “I’m waiting for mentors to want to join and volunteer and come eat lunch at the school or set up a time after school to meet. You can do it at the library or McDonald’s or any public place spending time with the child, talking with the child and sharing things.
        “We match the mentor with a mentee that has the same interests,” she said. “It’s someone to guide, listen and be an example (for the child). It’s just another caring person, a good friend. It helps kids, mostly in middle school because that’s a hard transition. Some of them are just shy and don’t feel like they fit in with their peers, and they just need someone to talk to, to listen.
        Often, the mentoring relationship grows into friendship, Schling said. “If you want to hang out, you can do that — everything is safe and documented. You can go fishing or go to the park, you just treat them like a buddy.”
        The program exists under the guidance of the Ottawa County Family Advocacy Center (OCFAC).
        Connie Coe, executive director of the OCFAC, said she chose Schling for the position because of Schling’s connection to the community.
        “She knows the kids and a lot about the community,” Coe said. “All of our mentor coordinators are connected to the community. We need that person to recruit the mentors.
        “If you want to give back, and you don’t have a lot of free time, 30 minutes to eat lunch or spend a little time to be a caring adult in their life is meaningful,” she said.
        “Our mentors say they get a lot more out of it than they think the mentees do,” she said. “The mentors report that they enjoy spending time with the kids because they learn so much from the kids. Lots of time, it’s the children serving us. It’s a great way to spend 30 minutes of your time.”
        There is great potential for the program to flourish at Woodmore, Schling said.
        “If we can get some people signed up, it could be a great program, very successful,” said Schling. “That’s why we’re trying to get Woodmore back into the swing of things. I think it would be great for the kids.”
        The OCFAC also oversees the management of other programs like CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates), Ticket to Success, Grand Love and Summer Lunch.
        “We have CASA, which continues to serve children who are in the court system for abuse and neglect. We have the mentoring program, the Grand Love program, which serves grandparents raising grandchildren — we’re doing fun activities and helping the grandparents advocate for themselves and get the services they need,” said Coe. “We are helping people with independent skills — career exploration, food preparation, renting an apartment, things like that. And there’s the summer lunch program — we served 88,000 meals across the county via the program last year.”
        For more information, visit the website, ocfamilyadvocacy.org, or contact Coe via email at ccornett@ocfamilyadvocacy.org or by phone at 419-356-8878 (cell). The office phone number is 419-301-0225.
 
 

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