Lunch with a buddy provides meaningful mentor experience
For Alyssa Barkovich, making a difference in a child's life is more important than having a free Friday afternoon.
The Lauton junior is a member of lunch buddies, a program that sends volunteers from Central Michigan University to six elementary schools. The program promotes nutrition, physical activity and academic success to elementary students during their recess and lunch periods.
"I heard it was a good program. I would rather spend my time there on a Friday afternoon working with kids rather than just in my room," she said.
On Fridays, CMU volunteers carpool to one of the schools that is part of the program. They then check in at the office and with a Lunch Buddies site coordinator, go to lunch and recess with their buddy, and finally have reflection with their coordinator.
The reflection period was implemented last year, and has provided a meaningful connection to the program.
“It’s very easy to go into a school, have fun, and leave and not really take much away from it because you just had a bunch of fun and played around on a playground you haven’t been on in a long time,” said Alyssa Newman, Livonia graduate student and Lunch Buddies supervisor. “So we try to get them to actually think about something before they leave and take something away.”
The program coordinates with the schools to find the elementary students who would benefit most from having one of the 140-145 CMU mentors as a Lunch Buddy. With Shepherd Elementary School being the newest addition this year, the other five participating elementary schools in the Lunch Buddies program are Ganiard, Pullen, Vowles and Morey Public School Academy and Saginaw Chippewa Academy.
Some volunteers are not assigned a specific student to be “buddies” with, but all of them mentor and are responsible for being a good example to the kids.
“For me it’s the experience to be able to make a difference in a child’s life that they might not have had without this program,” said Sault Ste. Marie sophomore Emma Harrington, a new member of the program.
Lunch Buddies promotes nutrition by encouraging the CMU students to pack a wholesome lunch to eat with their buddy.
“Healthy eating is so important, especially with obesity being such a problem,” Harrington said. “That’s one thing we stress, is setting a good example.”
Lunch Buddies is a commitment with an attendance policy because elementary students expect their buddy to arrive every Friday. In most cases, the CMU volunteer ends up benefitting and growing from the program along with their buddy.
Besides providing personal growth and the opportunity for a fun volunteer experience, Lunch Buddies connects CMU to the Mount Pleasant community.
“To actually get them connected to the community is really cool. They kind of have to adjust to the different elements so they kind of have to grow as a person through those challenges,” Newman said.
Students must apply annually for the Lunch Buddies program, or sign a letter of intent to continue volunteering with the program when school ends.
