In November 2001, at the chapter’s Annual Meeting, former President and long-time volunteer Bob Eldridge received approval from the board to launch a school-based mentoring program called Wakefield Adult Mentoring (WAM). Ten months later, in September of 2002, the first pairings of 20 mentors and middle school students (grades 5 — 8) met over cider and donut holes in the middle school library. By the start of the current academic year, 45 mentors and students from grades 2 through 12 were meeting regularly, and last month (February 2009) that number had ballooned to 55 pairs. Five young men and women who began in the program in middle school will graduate from high school in 2009. With the steady support of their mentors, many of them are looking ahead to higher education. Those mentees who have been part of WAM for at least three years and who go on to a postsecondary program will receive a $500 scholarship. These scholarships come from individual donations to the program specifically for this purpose. Years earlier Bob heard a presentation by a Washington chapter volunteer at a national Dollars for Scholars conference about his chapter’s mentoring program, and Bob knew immediately that he’d bring such a program to Wakefield. Upon retirement, he began the groundwork, meeting with the Superintendent of Schools and addressing the School Committee to build support, establish guidelines, and set a structure for a mentoring program. He turned to his chapter for two key elements of support — community credibility to legitimize the fledgling program and financial support to underwrite mentor training and materials. Once the approvals were in place and his own chapter was on board, Bob found and trained mentors. School personnel identified youngsters who would benefit from the program. As WAM approaches its seventh anniversary, it is an unequivocal success. Bob’s conviction that Wakefield has youngsters who need the consistent support of adult mentors required significant perseverance on his part. Working with school administrators, who in turn worked with the parents of prospective “mentees”, he started slowly. The first two academic years focused on middle school students. Soon those students were moving on to the high school, and that transition required adjustments in order to continue successful mentoring relationships in the new environment. After a couple of years, Bob cautiously introduced WAM to the elementary schools. Moving to the lower grades required different adjustments. Logistical issues not found at the middle and high schools cropped up — where to meet in crowded schools with virtually no unused space; when to meet when each day is so tightly scheduled. Somehow, WAM prevailed. Bob markets WAM with business cards and brochures. Every year all School Department staff receive a letter about the program. Every January, National Mentoring Month, one mentor is featured in the local newspaper and a local hotel sponsors a brunch for the mentors. Every spring WAM has an annual meeting for mentors. Every June the local Rotary Club sponsors a cookout for mentors and mentees. Today, the need continues for mentors who will give one hour a week of their time. Most importantly WAM has fostered a culture of success. Mentors are reaching out to children in need of a steady, faithful friend and are forging lifelong friendships. … the WAM program has since been merged into the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Massachusetts Bay (bbbsmb.org)
Scholarship Recipients
2025
- Georgia Lamarre — University of Vermont