Vol. 38, No. 18

2-4-2005
By: Wayne Rowe

Project Proud Achievement scores high marks

Ohio State Marion, Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Marion County and Marion Public Schools have banded together to develop a new mentoring program that is a win-win situation for all those involved.

Project Proud Achievement connects college students from the Marion campus with grade school children in the Marion area to provide one-on-one mentoring opportunities for kids. According to university students involved in the program, they have benefited as much, if not more than the children they are mentoring.

Big Brothers/Big Sisters matches program volunteers with school-age children and provides each a useful handbook to direct them through the mentoring process. Students earn one credit per quarter of independent study by attending regular mentoring sessions and meetings, and writing a two-page report about their mentoring activities at the end of each quarter.

Cindy Creasap, case manager for educational services at Big Brothers/Big Sisters, is confident that the partnership can make a difference with many children in Marion.

“The aim of our school-based mentoring program is to help empower children to make and reach goals, provide a positive adult role model outside of family members and expose them to new skills or hobbies,” she said. “By being matched with college students, we hope that the children will gain a new value for continued education, a vision many of them may never have considered.”

Lisa Marlow, senior psychology major at Ohio State Marion, is one of dozens of students from varying backgrounds and degree programs who have signed on to mentor a child. A mother of three children from Mount Gilead, she hosts a 16-year-old foreign exchange student from Russia. Although she balances a hectic schedule of home and college responsibilities, she has no problem dedicating an hour a week to the mentoring program.

Marlow believes she has gained as much, if not more, from her mentoring experience than Tony, the child she has been teamed up with since last October.

“My mentoring experience through Big Brothers/Big Sisters has been wonderful,” she said. “The young man I was paired up with is a great kid with a lot of potential.”

Although a primary focus of the visit is to assist with school work that needs to be completed, Marlow incorporates a personal touch into her mentoring experience. With Tony, positive reinforcement has made a profound difference for both of them.

“The first thing we do is talk about something good that happened to us since we saw each other last,” explained Marlow. “We always end our time together on a positive note. I’ve asked him to come up with two questions to ask me each week. The questions can be about anything, and if I don’t know the answer, I have assured him I would find out.”

Marlow felt this would be a good way for them to get to know each other and possibly build a relationship of trust. She also brings him books to read.

“He has become more talkative and I even get a smile every now and then,” she said.

Marlow said Tony has taught her and her family a thing or two about having fun. He taught them a great card game that provided hours of fun to her and her family throughout the holidays.

“I don’t know if I’m making an impact on Tony, but he certainly has made an impact on me and my family,” Marlow said.

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