A $7,500 grant from the City of Courtenay will help the John Howard Society of North Island continue to operate KidStart, a one-on-one mentoring program that partners adult role models with vulnerable children and youth.
“Last year we lost a major source of funding, so we were struggling to replace it,” John Howard’s executive director Wendy Richardson said. “We lost $20,000 worth of funding last year.”
Research indicates that a three-hour weekly commitment by volunteer mentors gives children and youth a better chance of reaching their potential.
“We’ve had children who were struggling in school turn their school lives around and graduate,” Richardson said. “We’ve had children so shy they wouldn’t talk to anybody and come out of their shell.”
The society operates a donor program called KidStart Champions. A gold champion contributes $100 per month, silver $50 a month and bronze $25 a month. Some businesses help through monthly contributions by staff members.
Richardson said the $7,500 equals about seven gold champions.
“That supports around seven kids a year,” she said. “We’re doing better, and we’re trying to increase the hours of our staff so they can support more youth. We figure a half-time staff person can manage about 25 matches.
“It’s an amazing program,” she added. “It’s made such a difference to many of the children we work with. But our waitlists (in the Comox Valley and Campbell River) are huge.”
FMI: jhsni.bc.ca