Champaign, Urbana school mentor program hits 30-year anniversary

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) – The Champaign and Urbana School Districts are celebrating the 30-year anniversary of its One-to-One mentor program.

Since 1994, the One-to-One program has been developed to build self-confidence and encourage students in school, for extracurriculars and in everyday life.

“We ask our mentors to start with a student in third to seventh grade,” said Community Outreach Coordinator Lauren Smith.

Mentors are asked to stick by them until high school graduation, but Smith said most continue the connection later in life.

“Some of the students keep in touch with their mentors into their thirties,” Smith said. “Think we’ve got a few, maybe early forties now.”

For the last three decades, students have been meeting with mentors for an hour once a week during their lunch break. Students who stay in the program for at least three years will be eligible for a scholarship worth up to $14,000 to help pay for college.

Andrew Wallace has been mentoring for about two years.

“It allows kids to be open, have another person listen and advocate for them on the back end, and just being a friend,” he said. “I’ve had experiences of my life that I wouldn’t want to be judged on, and I would want to be able to talk to people about it.”

Wallace said the connection through just playing games or helping students with the small things makes a long-lasting impact. It ensures they don’t go unnoticed.

“I’ve really noticed a change,” Wallace said. “Watching somebody grow into the person that they could be from a young age up to adulthood is a pretty amazing experience.”

This week, mentors reconnected with their mentees at Jefferson Middle School, Central High School and Edison Middle School. On Friday, those in the program will be visiting the Jazz Walk at the Urbana Park District at 6 p.m. to celebrate anniversary.

They hope this will motivate more mentors to take part.

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