GRAND LEDGE, Mich. — Grand Ledge High School students who have been mentoring elementary students through a new Big Brothers Big Sisters program are now being recognized by their "littles" as graduation approaches.
- Grand Ledge High School students participated in a new Big Brothers Big Sisters mentoring program, providing weekly visits to Holbrook Elementary to build relationships with young students.
- The pilot program recently celebrated its conclusion with a special ceremony where high school seniors and elementary students exchanged letters and friendship bracelets, highlighting the personal connections formed throughout the year.
- Watch the video below to learn more about the students' experiences and the organization's plans for expanding the mentoring program to more schools in the future.
Since the beginning of the school year, high school students have visited Holbrook Elementary weekly as part of a pilot program for the Michigan Capital Region's Big Brothers Big Sisters.
"This is a new program for the Michigan Capital region," said Megyn Forest, who runs the Big Brothers Big Sisters program for the capital region.
WATCH VIDEO
Forest said this pilot program has been a success and has expanded their reach.
"We have about 130 youth waiting for an adult mentor, for that traditional format, this allows our agency to reach more youth," she said.
The program recently concluded its first year with a special ceremony. During their final meeting, students wrote letters and made friendship bracelets for each other.
"He made mine for me and I made his for him," said Truett Snow, an elementary student who was mentored by high school senior Addison Plough.
The pair spent the year building a relationship through various activities.
"We play games," Snow said.
"He's very good at Connect Four," Plough said.
At Tuesday's ceremony, Snow presented Plough with a graduation cord as a token of appreciation for their time together.
For Plough, these meetings were just as meaningful as they were for her mentee.
"It kinda brings you back, to not focusing on all the school work and everything else that's chaotic," she said.
The organization hopes to expand the program to more schools in the future.
"We operate in 5 different countries. I would love to see a high school bigs program in at least every single one of our counties," Forest said.
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