13 years ago, Bill Nesbitt and some other members of Clen-Moore church were looking for a way to get involved with Cray.
They developed a unique partnership with our mentoring program that allowed church members to be matched with a child in the mentoring program, but instead of meeting one on one with the child, the mentors and mentees would meet as a group at Clen-Moore for dinner and activities twice a month.
The group setting helped ease the anxiety some of the mentors had about being alone with a child they didn’t know. Other church members supported the program by preparing meals or hosting activities.
As the children who were matched in that program graduated high school and went on to get jobs, further their education, or start families of their own, we had to decide whether or not to continue the program. After meeting with several other churches, Highland Presbyterian came on board, and now the program is a joint venture with volunteers and mentors from both Clen-Moore and Highland, serving a whole new group of kids.
The group recently kicked off the summer by planting red flowers at Highland Presbyterian, as a way to give back to one of the churches that has invested so much in our program’s success. Church members donated the flowers, and some even joined us to plant and get to know our kids and mentors. We finished off the night with a graduation dinner and celebration for one of our program’s high school graduates.
We are thankful for the friendships that have developed over the years in this program, and the positive impact it has on the volunteers, children and families, and our community.
