NEWS RELEASE
JULY 2, 2003
The Madison Metropolitan School District and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Dane County are actively seeking adults to become Big Brothers and Big Sisters to children living in Madison's Southdale neighborhood. The partnership has developed a unique, new mentoring initiative, the Southdale Outreach and Links (SOL) Mentoring Program. The SOL Mentoring Program aims to match Spanish-speaking students in the Southdale community with Big Brother and Big Sister volunteers to foster academic and personal success, with a goal of making 25 matches in the first year. Training and support will be provided to volunteers.
Over the past seven years, the MMSD has seen a 107% increase in elementary-aged Latino student enrollment, with many of these families living in Madison's Southdale neighborhood. The challenges faced by this neighborhood have become increasingly prevalent in the last ten years and have spurred renewed community attention on the part of residents and local government officials. The Department of Education awarded a three-year grant to MMSD to develop mentor-based programming for Latino youth. The SOL Mentoring Program was developed out of this grant funding to provide additional social and educational support to children in the community.
"We are seeking adults who want to have a positive impact on the life of a child and who can address the specific needs of Spanish-speaking students in Madison," says Jessica Townes, SOL Program Coordinator, MMSD. Interested persons should call 663-5240.
The partnership between MMSD and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Dane County is a natural one. BBBS has been building meaningful relationships between adults and children in Dane County for more than 40 years. The SOL Program further enables the agency to extend its service to Madison's fast-growing Latino community.
"Bilingual staff from both MMSD and BBBS are instrumental in making this initiative work," says Stephanie Gadzik, Volunteer Recruitment & Marketing Assistant for BBBS of Dane County. "Our goal is to clearly communicate with parents about the positive impact a Big Brother or a Big Sister can have in a child's life."
A special component of the SOL Mentoring Program is that volunteers will have the opportunity to spend time with the children plus their families, in large community gatherings, sharing experiences and culture.
MMSD and BBBS of Dane County are implementing the SOL Mentoring Program with the assistance of several community partners. Bethel Lutheran Church, Dane County's Joining Forces for Families, Dane County's Contacto Latino, United Way of Dane County, Centro Guadalupe and Centro Hispano each provide additional resources to the Southdale families, and help to recruit volunteer mentors for the program.
For more information on the SOL Mentoring Program, please log onto http://www.mmsd.org/sol/ or contact the program at (608) 663-5240.
For more information, contact:
Jessica Townes
Madison Metropolitan School District
jtownes@madison.k12.wi.us
(608) 663-5240
or:
Stephanie Gadzik
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Dane County
sgadzik@bbbsmadison.org
(608) 661-5437 ext. 21
Public Information Office
545 W. Dayton St.
Madison, WI 53703
608-663-1879
email: newsrelease@madison.k12.wi.us
Last Modified: 2003-07-02
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