Al’s Pals Mentoring Program is searching for UA student volunteers to mentor elementary school children for the spring semester.
Star Bloom, the program director for Al’s Pals, said the after-school program has limited the number of mentees to assure each child is accommodated but still needs at least 80 new volunteers.
Bloom said those seriously interested should be willing to commit every Wednesday or Thursday afternoon of the semester to spending time with the at-risk youth. UA students will serve at McKenzie Court Community Center or Oakdale Primary School, helping kids with homework, improving their reading and math skills with hands-on activities and games and practicing recreational activities.
“The children become attached to university students they are working with,” Bloom said. “They are extremely disappointed when they don’t come.”
Carey Wood, a sophomore majoring in marketing, started as a mentor his freshmen year and is now a student leader at Oakland.
“When you walk in the door, every kid you smile at smiles back. They adore you,” Wood said. “It’s refreshing to take a break from the college scene and be in an environment like that.”
Karolyn Perry, a sophomore majoring in finance, said she realized how much of a difference she was making in her mentee’s life when she saw him in the mall unexpectedly.
“He ran up to me, and introduced me to his family,” Perry said. “They were enthralled, because I guess he was telling them what we did every week. The family thanked me.”
Savannah Senicz, a sophomore majoring in biology, was considering changing her major to education when she decided to get involved with Al’s Pals. Senicz said she wanted to fulfill her curiosity of working with kids in a classroom and enjoyed it so much that she decided to become a student leader. When her 10-year-old mentee left the program to enter middle school, she said it was hard for both of them to say goodbye.
“When I had to tell her ‘bye,’ she got really upset,” Senicz said. “She wrote me a lot of sweet stuff, and told me how important I was to her.”
Vivian Spearman, a sophomore majoring in elementary education, volunteered with school children before she began her college career.
“We as college students can change kids’ lives just by spending a few hours with them a week,” Spearman said.
All agreed that UA students should join the Al’s Pals team.
“One person might not be able to change the world completely, but it’s definitely a start,” Perry said.
Anyone interested in becoming an Al’s Pals mentor can apply online at www.volunteer.ua.edu or by visiting the community service center, which can be found in Room 346 of the Ferguson Center. They may also visit Bloom’s office, which is Room 355G, for more information. Al’s Pals will consider applicants until Jan. 18.
