Meet our Director, Deacon Lesley Ann Drake
who began working full-time with Path To Shine in January 2011. Ordained a permanent deacon in the Episcopal Church in 2011, Lesley-Ann is currently assigned to St. Patrick's in Dunwoody. MORE >
Program Re-imagined
PTS-Perry, sponsored by St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church in Perry, has a new lease on life. Enrollment declined for the past several years and the program struggled to connect with children and parents who might benefit from PTS’s mentoring relationship. Transportation was also an issue, as the program did not provided transportation and working parents had challenges arranging to get their children to the church on Monday afternoons.
A new relationship with the Perry Housing Authority reinvigorated the program. The housing authority operates its own weekly after-school program for children in its Perimeter Circle housing complex. They were thrilled at the opportunity to extend their families the chance for more tutoring and mentoring on Tuesdays. PTS-Perry’s eight Ministers of Hope and St. Christopher’s rector, Rev. Shirley Porter, eagerly agreed to move their program to Tuesdays in order to take PTS to the children of Perimeter Circle. PTS-Perry went from three registered children to 15 after making the 1.5 mile move from the church’s fellowship hall to the housing complex meeting room. Affiliate director Christine Hoskins commented, “Our Ministers of Hope were determined not to let our program die, and they did not give up until we found a community of children in Perry who need what Path to Shine has to offer.”
A Day at Path To Shine
Geography is important, and every child should have the opportunity to understand how big the world is. In addition to providing understanding of Earth and where folks are located, geography encourages children to imagine. Our children may not have opportunities to travel and see distant places, but studying geography gets them one step closer to understanding our diverse, beautiful world and the people that live in it. Studying geography encourages imagination. "Kid, you’ll move mountains! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So get on your way!" -Dr. Seuss
Birthday Bags
An integral part of building trusting relationships between our children and Mentors takes place when our
Mentors join in in celebrating our children’s milestone and achievements. Oftentimes, this looks like saying, “good job” when our children succeed in school, and other times, it’s more. It looks like practical support.
Many of the elementary school children we serve are faced with limitations. One such limitation is family time. One contributor to this is parents having to work odd shifts in order to make ends meet.
For our children, this can mean not having time to celebrate important milestones, like birthdays. That’s where our Mentors step in! PTS-Canton (hosted by St. Clement's Episcopal Church in Canton, Georgia) had the brilliant idea of creating birthday bags for our children. Although bag contents can vary, typically they include everything needed to throw a lively birthday party at home. Having supplies to create a birthday party saves time and expenses for our children and their families.
Path To Shine® is pleased to be an inaugural partner of Cobb County Connection.
Path To Shine® is approved to receive its 3rd grant payment from Episcopal Community Foundation. Thank you, ECF, for this wonderful opportunity!
Mentoring Changes Lives
Having a committed Mentor can be a game changer for elementary school children.Did you know children with Mentors are 55% more likely to enroll in college, 78% more likely to volunteer on a regular basis, and 130% more likely to take on leadership roles? The National Mentoring Partnership suggest committed Mentors guarantee that children have someone who cares about them.
We are always looking for new Mentors at Path To Shine®. To learn more, visit our training page or simply click here.