Project Connect
Well Done
Project Connect was a DMARC-supported, one-on-one mentoring program that matched community volunteers with at-risk students in grades two to twelve. Unlike other mentoring programs, Project Connect worked along side the Des Moines Public Schools which allowed for tracking of results. Since the project began in 2004:
· 100’s of mentors had been recruited and matched with students.
· 63% of mentored students improved in core academic subjects.
· 93% of participating students said they looked forward to school more.
· 95% of participating students decreased absentee and suspension rates by 50% or more.
· 7 schools participated in 2004.
· 27 schools participated in 2010.
“A lot of these kids were hardly showing up for school before they got involved in Project Connect,” said Mary Beth Williams, DMARC’s Project Connect Recruiter. “For example, we had a young girl who was avoiding school, got matched with a mentor, and then became a straight A student.”
Williams recalled another student who moved seven times in two years. “Poverty forces families to move often,” she explained. Yet with each new school, the mentor remained consistent and the student maintained a 3.0 grade point average. Research indicates that the most important factor in a student’s educational success is the presence of a caring adult in their life. Some mentors have volunteered for the entire six years, accompanying children from elementary school to high school.
Project Connect has been a huge success, yet the mentoring program closed on June 30, 2010, due to budget cuts in the Des Moines Public Schools.
“Special thanks goes to the DMARC and Project Connect staff who have worked on this collaboration over the past six years,” said Jennifer Farley, Dropout Prevention Specialist, Des Moines Public Schools. Farley gratefully recognizes DMARC and Project Connect staff who built the mentoring program: Barbara Anderson, Forest Harms, Karen Ligas, Shaen Polasky, Vonnie Salem, Sarai Schnucker Rice, Chenita Smiley, Amy Smith, Tiffany Wogsland, and DMARC Project Connect Recruiter, Mary Beth Williams.
While the Project Connect Mentoring program has been cut, many mentors plan to continue meeting with their student next year, with building principals handling the protocol.
To the mentors, students, Des Moines Public Schools, donors, and staff—DMARC extends our deepest appreciation for a job well done.