Lebanon — Mayor Huck Lewis remembers two years ago, when his wife had been mentoring a boy from Hattie B. Stokes through a church program. The school year was over, so she hadn’t seen the boy for a few months.
“We were at Kroger, and all of a sudden this little boy comes running around the corner and gives her a big hug,” Lewis said. “And I thought, ‘Wow. If only we can keep this going, what a feeling.’”
Lewis carried that memory to an event called the annual Drop-out Prevention Summit last fall. Several other community leaders attended, and they got together to discuss how to advance mentoring in Boone County.
But, surprisingly, they found there was no mentoring program in place. So they decided to change that.
The Boone County Mentoring Collaborative, with the help of consultant Tracy Butler of the Indiana Mentoring Partnership, is working to create a high-quality mentoring program to help at-risk children. The program will be serviced by a local non-profit and will be held at Stokes Elementary, but will hopefully grow to be countywide.
“I’m not sure many people would have known there was no mentoring program here,” Butler said. “There’s an opportunity now. It’s a new day for Lebanon.”
Though it was surprising to find no existing mentoring program, Lewis said local churches have done their own thing in the past. But there’s never been anything at this level; nothing that was as organized as this new program will be.
High-quality, one-on-one mentoring, where relationships are built, improves the child’s academics and life skills, Butler said. But poor quality mentoring may actually harm the child more than if no mentoring occurred.
“There’s so much interest in mentoring now because so much research has shown, with just one caring adult, the child can know how big the world of possibility is,” Butler said. “Every adult in Lebanon in a powerful way can make a difference in a child’s life.”
Local leadership is undertaking such a big effort, Butler said. Leaders involved in the task force include Lewis, Lebanon Superintendent Dr. Robert Taylor, Judge Steve David, Mike Martin with Lebanon Utilities, United Way Area Director Jill Troha, Chamber of Commerce President Michelle Wiltermood, Boone County Community Foundation Director Mike Caldwell, Witham President and CEO Ray Ingham, and Teresa Susong with State Farm.
“To have Lebanon take this on with so many other successful efforts is really notable,” Butler said, explaining that Lebanon’s graduation rate is fairly high. “Boone County is already becoming an example to others in the state because of this dedication.”
So often, Butler said, there is a great idea in a community and it’s even surrounded with a lot of energy, but it doesn’t stick.
“That’s why the story of Boone County is getting out,” she said. “The leaders are staying with this, continuing to keep the ball rolling. It’s something the county should be proud of for sure.”
See Thursday’s Reporter for the complete story.
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