Community Development in West Michigan
How much difference can one-on-one time for one hour, once per week, make in the life of one child? The answer to that question is visible every week on the faces of kids at Burton Elementary School in Grand Rapids, where volunteers are building caring, supportive relationships with K-5th students through Kids Hope USA.
Why Kids Hope USA?
Kids Hope USA [KHUSA] is a national mentoring program that matches volunteers from a church with at-risk students in a local school. In pairing each of its students with a specific mentor for one hour every week, Kids Hope USA has an impact that extends far beyond academic achievement. By putting a person—a caring, consistent adult—in a child's life during their formative years, KHUSA helps shape not only the child's learning capacity and study habits but also their values, self-esteem, and problem-solving skills.
Students who are mentored through KHUSA experience improved self-confidence and academic improvement, particularly reading scores, as well as better classroom behavior. Through interactions with their mentors, they can feel worthy and valued, they can expand their social awareness, and they have increased opportunities to experience the fun of learning. Mentors, in turn, gain cultural and social awareness, as well as a new sense of belonging and community within their church and a caring friendship with a child.
Why Burton?
Like all kids everywhere, the students at Burton Elementary can benefit greatly from one-on-one time with a caring adult. But one thing that makes Burton unique is that its students have the highest level of poverty in Grand Rapids. In addition, with a 85% Hispanic student body, many of the students at Burton come from homes where only Spanish is spoken.
Burton's kids experience consistency and trust in their KHUSA mentorships—they can breathe deeply, and this is particularly beneficial for students who experience little stability at home. Being mentored also improves conversation skills in English, which is especially helpful for students who use the language only at school.
Beyond those direct effects, partnering with Burton Elementary builds a distinct sense of community among students, mentors, educators, and others, including mentors' and students' families. The relationship formed between a mentor and student rarely affects just those two—as both come to trust, care for, and rely on each other, that strength has a ripple effect on others in their lives. Through Kids Hope USA, teachers and school officials can be supported, families can be encouraged, community members can be connected, all of us can be linked in new and better ways.
How can I get involved?
Be a mentor with Kids Hope USA:
- Develop a supportive, caring relationship with one child
- Meet weekly at the school for a minimum of one school year
- Attend our provided mentor training [Interview and background check are also required.]
Or join our Support Team, volunteering in one of the following ways:
- Hospitality Team [Extend support and encouragement to the Burton Elementary Staff and the Kids Hope USA mentors.]
- Special Events Team [Coordinate gatherings of KHUSA mentors, students, and their families]
- Special Projects Team [Past projects have included a coat drive, sponsoring a Burton family for Christmas, and providing for classroom wish lists.]
- Summer Camp Team [Assist in raising funds and arranging to send our Burton students to camp.]
Fill out our application online [requires newest version of Adobe Reader] or download a printable application for serving with Mars Hill.