We were so excited for some positive PR coming out of our campus! They guys worked so hard to get this organized and recognized by the local press.
Article published Feb 13, 2005
College students become mentors to area youth
Party at fraternity house promotes volunteering.
Beverly Corbell
bcorbell@theadvertiser.com
There was a wild party at the Kappa Alpha house at the University of Louisiana on Saturday, with a lot of running, jumping and squealing.
But it wasn't a scene from Animal House; the KAs and other sororities and fraternities were entertaining more than 50 children and their families as part of a drive to sign up volunteers for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Acadiana.
Warren Sparks, KA president, said the fraternity plans to make it a biannual event.
"I'm hoping a lot of students will sign up to be a mentor - I did - to be with the kids twice a month and give them someone to look up to," he said.
Most of the children who have signed up for Big Brothers Big Sisters come from single parent homes, said Jolene Harris, volunteer coordinator for the organization. She said about 400 adults are active in the program, but there are still another 200 kids on a waiting list for a mentor.
"Statistics show that children with a mentor are less likely to start using drugs and less likely to quit school," Harris said. "Most kids in the program have had so many disappointments in their lives, but the UL kids make awesome volunteers."
UL students Kayla Ledet and Rachel Coleman sat at a table signing up volunteers during the party that included a fun jump, volleyball, basketball and lots of running around. Both had already signed up.
"I work every summer at a YMCA summer youth camp, and it's a pleasure being with the kids and finding out new things they come up with," Ledet said.
Adult volunteers also came to the party, including Isabella St. Andre, who got matched up at the party with 7-year-old Alyssa Zenon, a high energy student at Alice Boucher Elementary, who had already formed a bond with St. Andre.
"I like her because she's nice to me and gave me a bag with lotion and candy," Alyssa said. "And me and her were playing on the fun jump, and then we played volleyball and she showed me how to hit the ball."
Volunteers for Big Brothers Big Sisters are asked to make a minimum yearlong commitment to spend time twice a month with the children they mentor.
"Mentoring is doing exactly what you normally do," Harris said. "Just taking a little time out of your life to spend with a child."
St. Andre has lots of ideas about things she and Alyssa will do in the coming year.
"She'll come to the health club with me, to the library and to play tennis," St. Andre said. "I love gardening and will teach her, and I also hope to teach her to crochet and sew. And we'll work on reading and learning French."
Alyssa's mom, 28-year-old Vanessa Zenon, also has a 4-year-old son, Da'Tavanie. A single mom, Zenon is going to school to get her high school equivalency diploma and hopes one day to be a registered nurse. She said she appreciates all the help she can get through Big Brothers Big Sisters mentors.
Those positive role models create real results, Harris said, and she cited the example of one boy who's been in the program for nine years.
"At the time he started, his mom was having a lot of problems and he was not doing well in school," she said. "Now he's in high school and is on the honor roll."
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