College Mentors For Kids 5K

For additional donations: http://www.kintera.org/faf/search/searchParticipants.asp?ievent=1175036&lis=1&kntae1175036=2A8E58E454524AF7AC49260BDC2E5444 

We connect college students with the most to give to kids who need it most. Together with their mentors, kids participate in structured, weekly, after-school activities on a local college campus, exposing them to new opportunities which inspire them to create a vision for their futures. By pairing kids in a one-on-one mentoring relationship with college student mentors, kids have a caring adult who helps them understand the opportunities they have to pursue higher education and shows them the importance of trying harder in school and making wise choices.

We partner with high-needs elementary and middle schools to reach the kids who need our services most – 74% of the kids in our program come from poverty or low-income homes, and 88% are potential first-generation college students. We serve over 2,000 kids through 2,300 college student volunteers at 33 university-based chapters throughout the country.

Our three main goals are to equip kids with the skills they need to be successful in life, help kids understand the importance of education and motivate them to try harder in school, and to engage college students in meaningful leadership and service.

The Illinois State University chapter of College Mentors for Kids serves about 185 children from Stevenson, Bent, Irving, and Sheridan Elementary Schools in Bloomington School District 87. Each week, these students are bussed to Illinois State University for two hours after school to spend time with their mentors while participating in hands-on activities that allow them to explore the college campus and expose them to new opportunities.

The Illinois State chapter is responsible for raising much of the money involved with running our chapter from week to week, so we would really appreciate your support as we strive to change the lives of these kids and college students.