A Game to Remember

Since the start of my time at Youth & Shelter Services I have been meeting with an eighth grade mentee. Many days I think that she is having more of an impact on my life than I do on hers. She is always upbeat, kind and positive about the situations she encounters even though they are things most adults would struggle with for an eternity.

Everyone has those negative moments that will stick with us for a lifetime. My goal with my mentee was to provide her with a couple of positive experiences and hope that they would eventually outweigh the negatives. As I asked her about the things she wishes she could do, one of them was attend a football game.

The next week, I got an email saying the mentoring program was receiving free tickets for the last ISU game of the season! The joy on my mentees face cannot be described on paper. Not only did she do the typical jumping and screaming that many middle school girls do when they are excited, but she also ran into the Support Services office to tell everyone what we were going to do.

The entire game she was ecstatic and even after the game I was still getting texts saying, “I’m going to remember that day for the rest of my life!” Even though ISU lost, that game will always be a win in our hearts.

~Ashley

The GRIP Mentoring Story

GRIP has been a part of the YSS community as well as the Boone and Story County communities for just around 13 years. The GRIP Mentoring began in 1999 as a part of Youth and Shelter Services, Inc. in Ames, Iowa. We serve 8 school districts in Boone and Story Counties. The program serves over 350 matches a year! As we make matches throughout the year our numbers grow until March or April when we stop making matches for the year.

Our program goals are:

• The creation of positive mentor/student partnerships
• The improvement in academic performance
• Improvement of self-esteem.
• AND a mentor for every child who needs or wants a mentor

Our mentors are high school and college students and adults recruited from the community.

Matches are based on individual strengths, are paired by gender and a mutual commitment to a long-term friendship between the mentor and mentee.

According to our teacher surveys, students with a GRIP mentor showed significant improvement in academic performance and classroom behavior & attitude. The mentees also feel that having a mentor resulted in improved grades, better relationships at home and with friends, and greater interest in school and learning. So not only do the teachers see the changes, the kids feel them and are more self confident and academically inclined!

We love comments and questions, so feel free to post below or check out our website at www.yss.ames.ia.us/en/programs/grip_mentoring

Pair Up 4 A Purpose 5K Run/Walk

Besides great stories and activity ideas, we'd like to share some of the awesome events that GRIP presents or participates in. One such activity is our upcoming 5K fundraiser:

GRIP is hosting its 3rd Annual Pair up 4 a Purpose 5K Run/Walk on November 4th. The run will take place on Central Campus at Iowa State University. The event raises a lot of awareness around central Iowa and gives us at GRIP a chance to interact with our communities. It increases volunteer participation with the GRIP program, outside of the volunteer mentors we work with throughout the year.

There's the option to run as a pair and even a costume contest which is judged by Cy - the mascot of ISU. The event is sponsored by Panera so we will have tons of great food for after the race and door prizes which will be drawn before the race.

Check out our website or our facebook page for more information or to sign up!! http://www.yss.ames.ia.us/en/events/grip_mentoring_pair_up_4_a_purpose/

https://www.facebook.com/pairup4apurpose