Enid News staff writer Phyllis Zorn wrote a three-part package of articles about mentoring for Enid's Sunday paper. In addition to promoting the Coaches' Mentoring Challenge and Stan Brownlee's Fifth Grade Mentoring Program, Phyllis highlighted another lesser known but highly successful Enid program. We praise Zorn for her passion for building the community of Enid and offering all of us this model.
Mentoring:
More than homework, turkey tacos
 |
| Shakara Revels, a third-grade student in Enid Public Schools, receives help from Kimberly Raymond during Zoe Bible Church Kids Cafe on Wednesday. |
by Phyllis Zorn
Kids Cafe
Zoe Bible Church’s Kids
Cafe serves up activities, tutoring and life skills five days per week — along
with dinner twice a week — to 80 elementary school children in Enid.
The lessons learned are
more than homework and how to eat turkey tacos. Children in the faith-based
mentoring program also are learning they are loved by God and by people around
them.
Carlton Burton, senior
pastor at Zoe Bible Church since 2011, is director of the Kids Cafe program. In
addition, he drives the church bus to pick up the children at school.
When Burton stopped the
bus in the driveway of Garfield Elementary School on Wednesday, children
joyfully came to the bus, settled on board and buckled their seat belts for the
ride to Zoe.
“This is a
Christian-based facility,” Burton said. “Each gets age-appropriate instruction.
They also get life skills teaching, counseling, and help with lessons.”
The program has four
teachers as well as six volunteers. When children arrive, they are grouped into
four classes according to their ages.
Most of the children ate
turkey tacos for dinner at the same time 18 got lessons in conflict resolution
Wednesday.
Students in an upstairs
classroom talked with Donna Moreno-Hernandes about how to deal with difficult
situations at school without coming to blows. She and the students imagined a
school situation where a classmate had become confrontational.
“What can you do other
than fighting?” Moreno-Hernandes asked. “How can you resolve the issue?”
“Go talk to the
principal,” one child suggested.
“Ignore them and go
away,” another suggested.
“What if they jump on
you and go bop?” a boy asked.
“Scream to get help,”
another boy suggested.
Soon, Burton brought
another group of 18 students to the classroom and escorted the first group down
to dinner.
The children also get
outdoor play time when weather permits and indoor play when weather is
inclement. During the holiday season, children develop skits to perform for
parents and make craft gifts for family members. A summer program operated by
the church is different, with longer hours and more outings.
Cornelius Pitts,
counselor and director of The Agency at Zoe, also works with the children of
Kids Cafe.
The program began in
2003 and was taken over from a different church that used to meet in the same
location, Burton said.
Enid, Okla. — The two-hour mentoring program mainly is
funded by members of the small church. It gets additional support from the
Regional Food Bank and meals served at Kids Cafe conform to Regional Food Bank
standards.
“One of the biggest
challenges we’ve had is mentoring kids in the areas of personal hygiene and
respect for others,” Burton said. “We really need all churches to pick up
parenting and teaching these young parents to parent.”
Some of the computers at
Kids Cafe need repaired or replaced. Additionally, Kids Cafe is in need of
additional volunteers and cash donations for outings, arts and craft supplies
and prizes for the children. Checks can be mailed to Zoe Bible Church, 729 E.
Maine, Enid, OK 73701.
Posted 8-30-14
No comments:
Post a Comment