With the establishment of a new Russellville City Schools program, children in RCS can have access to the wisdom and encouragement of an adult mentor.

Launching in the fall of 2017, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Shoals and Russellville City Schools are announcing a new partnership for a school-based mentoring program, called Golden Tiger Bigs Mentoring Program.

“The success of our school-based program Red Bay Buddies in Red Bay sponsored by Sunshine Mills made us realize that partnering with Russellville City Schools would be a great way to serve more children in Franklin County, explained BBBS CEO Gina Mashburn. “This program will identify children who have not yet reached their potential and match them with the most appropriate high school mentor or adult volunteer from the community.”

Mashburn said she anticipates serving about 20 children in the first year of the program, with room to expand in future years. “We have some initial funding, but as we grow the program and more funding is secured, the mentoring coordinator will be able to work more hours and therefore match more children with mentors,” she explained. At least 20 volunteer mentors are needed as the program is initiated. “The bigger the pool of volunteers we have, the better we can ‘match’ a child to a volunteer. Matches are made according to personalities, preferences, needs of the child and strengths of the volunteer.”

RCS Superintendent Heath Grimes said the program was met with excitement by school principals, and he sees the program as a valuable addition to the school’s efforts to mold and teach the whole child, particularly beneficial for children who are at-risk and need the extra support.

“They just need someone to talk to them about doing things the right way and show them there is a right way to do things and show them they are important,” said Grimes. “We’re very excited about it. We want to do everything we can to maximize the whole student.”

Mentor/mentee relationships will meet one hour a week at the youth’s school to promote higher aspirations, greater confidence, better relationships, avoidance of risky behaviors and educational success, Mashburn said.

“Volunteers will be screened according to Big Brothers Big Sisters National Standards for One to One Mentoring. There is a strict screening process,” she said. “But no special skills are needed. We will use Russellville High School students who have at least a C average and are well-rounded and dependable. Adults from the community need to be at least 19 years old, clean criminal record, provide solid references and basically be an average person who is able to demonstrate the ability to develop an appropriate relationship with a young person.”

Grimes said he expects eager response from student and community members hoping to serve as mentors.

“I think a lot of our club members, such as National Honor Society, the career tech clubs such as HOSA, our athletes – all of those students understand what it means to be a mentor, and they will want to give back and enjoy having a ‘little brother or sister,’” said Grimes. Additionally, “it’s going to benefit the older ones, too, because they might see a perspective they haven’t seen and have a little greater gratitude for what they have in their lives.”

Most of the children referred to the program, Mashburn said, will be students who “have just not yet met their full potential. They are referred by teachers, parents and sometimes themselves to receive an older buddy to talk to, help with schoolwork, explore their future options and encourage them to be their best at home, in school and in the community.”

In the interest of measuring such a program’s effectiveness, Mashburn added, “We actually utilize a Youth Outcomes Survey, which tells us that of youth enrolled in our programs, 90 percent maintained or improved in social acceptance, 87 percent maintained or improved in their educational expectations, and 84 percent maintained or improved their grades.

“Besides these facts, former mentees have told us that their mentor meant the world to them, changed the way they think of themselves and gave them hope for a bright future.”

Grimes said the Golden Tiger Bigs Mentoring Program is the type of offering that might fly under the radar of usual markers of a school system’s success – like a statewide school “grading card,” for example – but it can promote unmeasurable success in really reaching students in ways that matter.

“We want to build the whole child,” he said. “Any time you’re able to support students, to make life better and support them in their issues, then it’s going to be an overall win for the system. Make their lives better, and in turn they will make people around them better because of how they respond and how they do things.

“We’re doing what’s best for our students, building a whole child and not just an academic child.”

The Golden Tiger Bigs Mentoring Program will require corporate partners to support the effort to bring mentors to more children in Russellville. For more information about sponsorship or volunteering as a mentor, contact Mashburn at 256-248-1931 or gina@bbbsshoals.org. Additionally, a coordinator position is open for this program, comprising 35 hours per week and $8.50 per hour. Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree. Contact Mashburn for more information on how to apply.