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Mentor's Care is a non-profit organization that serves high school students at-risk of not graduating. This grant is being requested for the program serving Wylie High School in Abilene, TX. The program pairs the youths up with Mentors and the on-site coordinator provides a room where students can come grab a snack before school and in-between classes as well as at lunch. This room provides a refuge for students who would often be wondering the halls or leaving campus, and also provides them a safe space to come when they have a mental breakdown or just need to vent to an adult who isn't a teacher or parent. The coordinator will determine if the student's needs require them to see the counselor or other school support staff member and makes sure they are headed to class if not. Many of these students don't eat regularly, so the fruit bar they pick up in the morning or the bowl of soup they heat up at lunch might be the only meal they eat that day. The snacks are also a means to keep the kids coming by the room to check in so that the coordinator can apprise mentors of updates in their mentees life such as a rough break up or behavior problems in a class between sessions. Every aspect of this program is aimed at keeping these students engaged and in class so that they can graduate with their diploma. Along the way these students see their hard work come to fruition and, hopefully, change their minds about school and the value of an education. Mentors discuss various topics with their mentees, including practical things like the cost of living on their own, the average pay for various careers, help with college prep for those that are headed to college and discussions about a variety of other relevant topics. Our club already has one Rotarian serving as a mentor and after a presentation by the coordinator, has at least one other Rotarian who is actively seeking to become one. Once distributed, the funds would be used to purchase snacks that would be given out to students over the school year.
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