Our Mission:If you think back to when you were younger, you can probably think of someone who you looked up to. You might have considered them your role model or at the very least a positive influence in your life. We, on the mentorship committee, believe even us high schoolers can make such impacts on the youth. We provide opportunities in which we can be present, positive role models to the children we work with. We focus on building relationships with students and the hope is to lead by example for when those children become high schoolers, they may pay it forward and become great examples to their youth.
Some of Our Events:
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According to a recent study, it was found that in low income areas, there is only 1 book for every 300 children. To us, that is not acceptable. We strongly believe every child should have access to reading material and be inspired through the imagination where books can only take them. From that need arose "Eat N' Read". In this event we take buses full of volunteers, each equipped with two lunch meals and a book, to an inner-city elementary school where we spent time first sharing the meal we brought with them and then promoting literacy by reading together. Why eat first? Because all humans, no matter what race, class, or origin have the common need to eat. And through this spawns a natural ice breaker where people from dynamic backgrounds can come together and share food and thus life. The books are then donated to each student to further encourage the power or reading and an education. This program has now grown to a network of three schools to which we engage with over 300 young children to promote literacy and provide positive influences to the youth.
This year long event partners one of our Key Club members with a local elementary school student. We write letters back and forth once a month to promote proper grammar skills and also to be a role model in encouraging them to dream big! At the end of the year we go to the school to celebrate the year long connection! Watch the video below to see our end of our year visit to Hoffman Elementary!
This year we are excited to announce our new partnership with Apollo Elementary School in Des Plaines for our Big N' Lil program. Through Big N' Lil, we provide an opportunity for grade schoolers to engage with high schoolers in team building activities. We do everything from have scavenger hunts around the school, group games, and crafts! We are excited to announce a new partnership Key Club has developed. This past fall, our leaders had a chance to visit a "head start" preschool in the inner-city to engage with children there. We read books, played games, helped with math, and did our best to bring joy to the kids. We are working with the administrators at Erie House to provide awesome opportunities for our members soon!
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