Engaging college students in community service as mentors. Developing strong partnerships involving parents, schools, communities, and state agencies and organizations. Reading Each day, small groups of five to eight children who are entering first through sixth grades work with college student mentors. Related activities encourage children to appreciate themselves, their personal experiences, and their place in the world. Each week every child receives a free take-home book, related to the theme, to keep.
Mentors work with their groups to develop community service projects the children complete.
They create books to donate to the libraries, read at nursering homes and hospitals, and plant trees and flowers - learning the value of service while making real contributions to the improvement of their schools and communities. Mentors College students, the majority of whom attend West Virginia colleges and universities, are recruited and trained to serve as mentors. Energy Express mentors are committed to helping communities meet education needs of children through service. In 1998, all 423 mentors were AmeriCorps Members - fulfilling additional community service commitments and earning educational awards. Mentors increased in persoanal eficacy and postivie attitudes about community service.