News

Actions

Wyoming mentoring program seeks more volunteers

Posted at 8:52 AM, Oct 09, 2014
and last updated 2014-10-09 08:52:49-04

WYOMING, Mich. -- One hour a week.

That's what the people behind OneWyoming 1on1say will help a student reach their highest potential.

In its second year, the OneWyoming 1on1 looks to add more volunteers. The One Wyoming 1 on 1 Mentoring Initiative was launched on February 2, 2012, and began mentoring students in the fall of 2013.

"We set a goal of 10 perent of the school districts students," explained Jack Ponstine, program coordinator with One Wyoming. Out of 11,000 students throughout Wyoming, they wanted to match mentors with 10 percent of the students, or 1,100 students.

"Our first year, we were either very excited or very disappointed, because we got half way," Ponstine said, which is why they are calling for more people to step up.

The commitment is simple: just one hour a week for a school year.

"You don’t need any skills other than just really sincerely caring about somebody," explained mentor Bruce Kielty. "And you have to be a good listener.”

"One hour a week is not very much to take out of your busy schedule and I know, I've worked full-time and everything, so I know schedules can get very busy," added wife Janet.

"But if you take and set aside one hour a week, it is so satisfying to be able to see the enthusiasm of the student you work with.”