"The kids we work with have gotten a bad deal in a lot of cases, and if I can brighten my mentee's day, even if it's only one day out of seven, then it is totally worth it to me. Those days when she smiles and says she's glad I came, those are the best."

Whitman student Koren Frost believes she receives as much as she gives in her role as a volunteer mentor at a local elementary school. She is one of more than 50 students who have made a commitment this year to provide a child with personal, social, and academic assistance through a program sponsored by Whitman's Center for Community Service.

	First-year Whitman student Andrew Moore, who says a mentor changed his own life, reads with a child at Sharpstein Elementary School. "I know how much someone can influence a kid’s life, and I know I have a lot to offer. It would be selfish of me to ignore this part of me and not be willing to share."

"We are to be a stable and reliable friend to our mentees as we develop a positive caring relationship with them," said Heather Waite, the Whitman student intern who coordinates the program. The most important goal is to "improve the students' chances of succeeding, not only in school, but also in other social situations," added Waite.

Whitman mentors generally meet with their young students once or twice a week during the lunch hour to do school work, visit, read, play, or simply enjoy lunch. They also may work on an enrichment project. "It's a great program for the kids, who need to feel loved and important, and for the mentors, whose reward is to feel loved and important in return," Whitman junior Jessica Welker notes.

Darin Reynaud, a sophomore, agrees. "Spending time with my mentee makes me realize what's really important in my life. I am reminded every time I'm with her of the importance of keeping childlike qualities alive in my life."

"Kids are susceptible to a lot of bad influences these days," junior Mark Kilmer adds. "I have been susceptible to my share of harsh influences. I just want to lead by example to ease the peer tensions that make kids do all sorts of stupid things to impress their friends and fit in at school."