The Montgomery County Youth Service Bureau’s JUMP program is looking for mentors to match with children on its waiting list.
JUMP program manager Jill Hampston said mentors meet with the child a minimum of four hours a month to do fun activities. Mentors and mentees are matched with each other based on similar interests so that makes planning activities easy to do. In addition, if the mentor is interested in attending, the Youth Service Bureau also provides one free group activity each month.
“This helps take the pressure off trying to come up with new ideas and is also a great way to meet and spend time with other mentors and mentees in the JUMP program,” Hampton said.
The organization is providing the Journal Review with a series of profiles of these children on the waiting list in hopes of finding a volunteer to be matched with them. Their names and ages have been changed slightly to protect their privacy.
Jarrod is a 12-year-old boy who lives at home with his dad and step-mom. Even though there are two parents in the home, their time is stretched pretty thin caring for four children. They asked to have Jarrod become a part of the JUMP program in hopes of helping build his self-esteem and to give him some one-on-one time with another caring adult.
Jarrod is smart and makes mostly A’s in school. His father says that not only is Jarrod smart, but he also loves to read. He likes to ride bikes and play video games.
Jarrod said at school he is involved in choir and the homework club. When he grows up he hopes to be a writer or an editor.
If he could learn something new, it would be to get better at math. And if he could be anyone in the world he would want to be Christopher Paolini, the author of a series of books called “The Inheritance Cycle.” His favorite of the series is “Eragon.”
If he could spend a day doing whatever he wanted, he would like to hang out with friends and family, make a home-cooked meal or go to a museum. He said things he likes to do outdoors are playing basketball, walking, going to parks, boating, swimming and fishing.
Indoors, he likes cooking, watching television and movies, craft projects, reading, writing, drawing and doing puzzles. If he had a mentor, he said he would be open to doing whatever the mentor enjoys either indoors or out.
“Jarrod is a sweet kid who is very easy to talk to and would be a lot of fun,” Hampton said. “He does struggle a bit with his self-esteem so some attention from a positive role model could really make a difference in his life.”
If you are a male or even a married couple who would like to mentor Jarrod, or any other child on our waiting list, contact Hampton at 765-362-0694, ext. 10, or email her at jill@mcysb.org.
To learn more about the Montgomery County Youth Service Bureau, visit online at www.mcysb.org or visit their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/mcysb.org.
The Montgomery County Youth Service Bureau is a Montgomery County United Fund Partner Agency.
