Stanislaus mentoring program seeks volunteers to support elementary, middle school students
A Stanislaus County mental health agency is looking for community members to mentor Modesto elementary and middle school students as children show an “overwhelming need” for support.
Sierra Vista Child & Family Services runs the program in partnership with Modesto City Schools. It dates to 2015.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, coordinator Anne Aleson said, there’s a deficit of mentors just as more students — as young as kindergartners — could benefit from one-on-one attention.
“Our community’s youth need it now more than ever,” said Aleson, coordinator of mentoring and community support for Sierra Vista.
School staff at several Modesto schools refer children to the program, called the Regional Mentoring Alliance. Adult volunteers are trained and matched with students with similar interests and backgrounds, Aleson said.
They meet with students for one hour weekly throughout the school year. Students are pulled out of class to meet with their mentor during the school day, which ranges from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., Aleson said. Volunteers can choose whether to participate virtually or in person.
Aleson hopes to gather at least 100 volunteers, up from about 40 currently. A number of students want to be referred to the program, she said, but they won’t be added to a wait list until more mentors are available.
Wilson Elementary School Principal Danyelle Gonzalez said students who are mentored show higher attendance, better academic performance and less problematic behavior.
Gonzalez said she monitors trends in disciplinary data to determine which students could benefit most from mentoring, in addition to those referred by family or teachers.
She said some students are “anxiously waiting to be paired with a mentor” after their previous matches left during the pandemic.
Mentors show students they matter, offering a positive reason to come to school, Gonzalez said. “For some kiddos, that’s the best part of their school experience,” she said.
Pairs might play games, solve puzzles or answer icebreaker questions. Mentors often offer to help students with homework, but usually the children prefer activities that bring laughter — part of an intentional effort to cater to students’ social and emotional needs, which in turn drives academic improvement.
Jaime Flores has mentored Adriana, a student at Orville Wright Elementary School, since 2018. As the pair bonded over arts and crafts, the relationship “evolved into something that was like a friendship,” Flores said.
“We could have fun, but she also knew she could trust me and talk to me about things,” she said.
Maria Salie mentors Evelyn, a second-grade student at Wilson Elementary.
Over about three years, Salie said, she’s watched Evelyn go from shy to confident. She opens up about her friends and takes responsibility as a leader. The relationship has impacted them both.
“It’s not just me trying to encourage, inspire, motivate, and uplift, but in turn, she is doing that for me,” Salie said.
People interested in volunteering as a mentor or donating to the program can visit www.sierravistacares.org/regional-mentoring-alliance or reach out to Anne Aleson at aaleson@sierravistacares.org.
