Adopt-a-School program grows with the children it mentors
It’s been seven years since Wyatt Baptist Church’s congregants approached their pastors about starting a mentoring program for El Dorado students, and in that time, Christians from throughout Union County have gotten involved in not one but three local school districts.
When the church received its first grant VIP (Violence Intervention Plan) grant from the SHARE Foundation is 2018, mentoring coordinator Vicki Harmon decided to try to bring other local churches into the fold by hosting a mentor training session with representatives from Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship church, based in Dallas and headed by Dr. Tony Evans, who developed the Adopt-a-School Initiative utilized by Wyatt Baptist.
Wyatt Baptist has gone on to receive VIP grants each year since, and the Adopt-a-School program has grown significantly over the years. In 2018, Wyatt Baptist had about 25 mentors working with about 35 children at Yocum Elementary in El Dorado; now, more than 40 mentors work with students at Yocum, Washington Middle School, Barton Junior High School, Murmil Education Center, El Dorado High School, Parkers Chapel Elementary School and Gardner Strong Elementary School.
“It’s been exciting. It’s exciting to see how the churches can work together. A lot of time we’ll have Christmas parties, joint with the schools, and so the different churches get to
interact, and that’s wonderful,” Harmon said.
Just two years after receiving their first VIP grant, mentors encountered their toughest challenge yet: the COVID-19 pandemic.
But Harmon said that didn’t slow anyone down.
“Some of the students were virtual learners, so we had to be creative in that way, and some of our mentors had increased health risks, so they had to be creative too. But it’s just like everyone else in every industry, you adapt and adjust,” she said. “We were very grateful that the El Dorado and Strong school districts saw us as essential for the children, especially after being home with the virtual learning — they needed consistency in their lives and that reinforced that.”
Harmon has been mentoring one El Dorado girl since she was in fourth grade. The now10th grader has grown in ways Harmon didn’t foresee when they first met all those years ago.
“I’ve seen immense growth… She’s mature, she’s confident, she’s got control, she’s gotten her drivers license. She’s making very adult decisions,” Harmon said. “She’s a very different girl than she was when she was a very shy fourth grader. It’s wonderful to see the progress.”
Harmon has been a mentor to three girls in the El Dorado School District, and her relationships have grown to encompass not only her mentees but their families as well, she said.
“They’re my very special friends,” she said.
Churches from across Union County have gotten involved in the Adopt-A-School program, which remains open to new members churches and mentors. Mentors must undergo a background check and sign a contract promising their commitment. After taking training on being a mentor, they’re partnered with a child that shares interests with them.
For one hour a week, mentors meet with their mentees at their schools during an elective period. A mentor will continue to follow their mentee throughout their school career.
Harmon said that for some children in the program, once they make it to high school, they find mentors in other places — sports, extra-curriculars, etc. Mentors may not meet with their mentees as often then, but they do keep in touch.
“Not everyone has dropped out of the system in high school, and we still have several mentors at the high school, but their lives are much busier with high school. We still have relationships but may just not meet as much,” she said.
And the program isn’t limited to mentoring relationships with students. Harmon said that churches truly do “adopt” their schools, working to build teachers and other school staff up alongside their mentees.
“We try to encourage those teachers along the way, build up the school as well. We might do something for Teacher Appreciation Week or a Backto-School Brunch,” she said. “These teachers really care. They have great staff and we’re really blessed.”
She highlighted Murmil, an alternative learning environment for students who are referred for behavioral, academic or social issues, as having strong opportunities for growth available to their students. “Kudos to everyone,” she said. Harmon said she hopes to hold additional information sessions for local churches to learn more about the program in the future. She said in her experience, mentors get much more out of the program than they put in.
“They will receive a bigger blessing than what they envisioned. It’s definitely worth an hour a week to invest in someone else,” she said. “You can’t quantify it… I know those lives have been changed and I know mine has. And if we don’t get involved, the churches won’t even know what’s going on in the community.”
To learn more about the Adopta-School Initiative, visit wyattchurch.com or call Harmon at 870-814-0900.