Mentor program draws from reliable, nonparent nurturing

Ten years ago, Lesley-Ann Drake had a life-altering encounter leading to a mentoring and education program that has spread across the state.

An ordained Episcopal deacon, Drake was volunteering at a women and children’s shelter in Marietta when a 19-year-old mom with four children under the age of 4 walked in.

“I wondered if this young lady had had different role models in her life, someone who could have laid out different pathways and different choices, if she might have chosen differently,” said Drake. and I was scared to death

The idea of how to offer that first day,” she recalled. those pathways and choices “I met with two little kinderkept nagging. A few months garten girls, and I was soaklater, she met with the prining wet from nerves when I cipal of Norton Park Elemencame out of the first session. tary in Smyrna with the goal But it’s been a great experiof setting up an after-school ence. I’ve learned something program called Path to Shine. from them every week.”

“I told them I’d find the One of the girls took a volunteers, and we’d come shine to Takada’s favorite once a week,” said Drake. book, “Little Women,” and “We got 20 third graders the two read it together and and jumped in.” went to see the movie as well.

The program launched at Takada worked with the stua church building adjacent to dent each week until she the school. Each week, vollearn life skills.” moved on to middle school. unteers arrived to greet the Path to Shine has also “The purpose is to be an students after school, walk added the element of menexample of what life could them to the church and dive torship, which makes a signif- be like,” she said. “It’s about into snacks, homework and icant difference, said Drake. sharing positive messages support. “I believe, and the people about goals, being kind and

“The resources just who volunteer believe, that working hard. The thing that showed up,” said Drake. there is power in building a keeps me there is the positive “A retired educator held a relationship with a caring, environment and knowing garage sale for school suptrusting adult who is not your I’m doing something to help.” plies. People lined up to do parent,” she said. “When you Volunteers also try to stay snacks and bring books. Most look at trauma in children — connected through middle of all, we started to build and many who live in povschool and high school, relationships.” erty face it every day — one Drake said. “We send text

After the first year, Drake of the most reliable ways to messages and cards throughdeveloped a training prodeal with it is to have the out the year to check in and tocol allowing for expan- same adult work with the see how they’re doing. The sion to other locations. Path same children. When you ultimate test will be when to Shine now has 16 sites, do it once a week for 2.5 we can say the children who including locations in Macon hours, it’s powerful.” have at least two years in the and Columbus. Together, 189 That impact is possi- program graduate at a higher children are supported by ble because both students rate than their peers. After about 145 volunteers. and volunteers commit to spending time in Path to

“It’s not a babysitting sershowing up. Last year, the Shine, we equip them with vice; it’s not a place for an attendance for children was enough life skills and social after-school snack,” said 89.5%; for volunteers, it was and emotional support for Drake. “We have a curricu- 89.9%. Retired Smyrna resi- them to do better, and I lum that focuses on social dent Karen Takada has been believe they will.” and emotional learning, a regular part of the program including topics such as good for almost six years, despite manners and resiliency. It’s her initial reservations. a program where children “I don’t have children,

CONTRIBUTED A Path to Shine, founded in 2010 in Smyrna, applies the idea “there is power in building a relationship with a caring, trusting adult who is not your parent.”