They clasped hands and stretched out their legs, trying to look like the rows of electrical power lines along Dempster Street in Mt. Prospect.
Beric Wessely, 8, grinned and declared to his mentor, Tamie Hopp, and the others in the gym: “There’s a big storm and we might fall down.”
A child who sometimes can’t focus and rein in his boundless energy, Beric has learned to handle his difficulties since Hopp became his mentor a few months ago. Beric and other children participate in a Mt. Prospect program aimed at boosting the self-esteem of troubled children through games and art projects.
The 28 children in the program thrive on individual attention from mentors who work with them each week. Parents and teachers have reported a significant improvement in the behavior and attitude of those who participate.
“What really impresses me is the amazing amount of changes these kids go through. We only meet with them 1 1/2 hours a week, ” said Rita Nathanson, the program’s volunteer coordinator.
“Their self-esteem has increased, they’ve developed leadership skills. Their whole attitude about being with kids and other people has changed.”
Mt. Prospect social worker April Foley developed the program four years ago when social workers could not find spaces for children in other established mentor programs. Often, these programs had lengthy waiting lists.
In a unique partnership with local volunteers, the village stepped in to fund the mentor program with $1,250 in federal community development block grant dollars. The money is budgeted to help low- and moderate-income families in the village.
Children usually come to the program as referrals from social workers at various Mt. Prospect elementary schools. The typical child is usually going through a rough time at home.
Some have problems because their parents are divorced. Or a family member’s drug or alcohol abuse is causing problems at home. Social workers refer others because they are disruptive in class or falling behind in schoolwork.
“It’s not a program for bad kids,” Foley said. “It’s about strengthening what they already have. . .and helping them through a difficult situation or behavior they are having in school.”
Three elementary schools in Mt. Prospect host the mentor program one night a week for up to 10 children. Each child is paired with an adult or high school-age mentor while they are in the program. The kids are eligible to participate for two semesters.
Field trips are open to them during the summer.
“The kids learn how to share and not be so competitive and that no one is better than anyone else,” said Shayne Gordon, 24, of Schaumburg, a mentor for two years. “A lot of kids don’t get to spend a lot of time with their parents. When I was younger, it was nice to know there was someone you could count on, at least for an hour or two a week.”
On a recent night at the John Jay Elementary School gym, the children and their mentors paired off to complete a worksheet on map reading. They marked off Mt. Prospect sites–such as their home, fire station and school–on a paper map.
Later, they reunited as a group and formed a human map on the gym floor by pretending to be local landmarks.
Beric, working with Hopp on the map, got frustrated when they didn’t finish at the same time as the other kids. He’s learned from Hopp that he sometimes lags behind because he “just has too many ideas.”
Beaming up at Hopp, Beric said he likes coming to the mentor program because “we have mentors like Tamie. You help us to get along with other people.”
