Program
Middlebury College students are matched as mentors with Addison County children. Pairs usually get together once a week for a few hours. Sometimes Middlebury students bring their friends onto campus to a hockey game or for dinner in the dining hall. Check out our Activity Ideas for some suggestions of ways to spend time with your Community Friend.
Apply Now
Click here to access the application instructions and application form (Microsoft Word Document).
Questions
Contact kfreedy@middlebury.edu.
History
Community Friends became an official student organization in Fall 2002, but the program has existed since 1960. Nearly four thousand Middlebury students have been matched with Addison County children. Currently, eighty pairs of Middlebury students and children are paired as Community Friends. Most of the pairs we match have wonderful relationships that last through the volunteer's years at Middlebury and beyond. Becoming a mentor is a very important responsibility. A mentor is a guide, a trusted friend, a good listener, and a coach. Your role is to support your friend and serve as a positive role model for him or her. You can't save the child you work with from every terrible thing that may have happened in his or her life, and you can't fix all of his or her problems. What you can do is help to demonstrate how you have been successful in your life and hope they learn from your example.
2009-2010 Student Coordinators
Each year Middlebury students work as Student Coordinators for the Community Friends program. Coordinators help recruit new volunteers, screen and match prospective Community Friends, and attend weekly meetings with the staff coordinator to plan events and keep the program running smoothly. Coordinators receive a stipend for their participation.
Vanessa Evers (vevers@middlebury.edu)
Andrew Forsthoefel (aforstho@middlebury.edu)
Anna McDonald (amcdonal@middlebury.edu)
Michaela O'Connor (moconnor@middlebury.edu)
Josh Pincus (jpincus@middlebury.edu)
Ali Urban (aurban@middlebury.edu)
Please feel free to contact the student coordinators if you want more information about mentoring. The coordinators are great resources for advice on ideas of things to do, how to handle situations that may come up with your friend or his/her family, or if you have questions about any aspect of the program.