Headline: BLACKS,
JEWS TEAM UP, GIVE PUPILS A BOOST
Reporter: By Gregory Freeman
Publication: ST.
LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
Last Printed: Sun. 5/16/1993
Section: WAR PAGE, Page: 4B, Edition: FIVE STAR
EXPERTS MAY fret
over the state of black-Jewish relations in America, but not so members of the
Cote Brilliante Presbyterian Church and the Central Reform Congregation.
The
two groups have developed a close working relationship that has resulted in
a mentoring program at one of the city's public schools. Since October, 87 members
of Cote Brilliante, at 4673 Labadie Avenue, and Central Reform, at 77 Maryland
Plaza, have met once a month with 87 first-grade students at Cote Brilliante
School, 2616 Cora Avenue. On those days, they have worked one-on-one with the
students from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.
Ivory Johnson,
who's coordinating the efforts at Cote Brilliante Church, said the mentors hope
to motivate the youngsters, especially in attendance. The mentors hope to work
with the students through elementary school.
"We
know that most mentoring programs are done with students who are in higher grades,
" Johnson said. "But the principal thought that the program would
be more beneficial if we worked with the kids from the first grade and stuck
with them throughout elementary school.
"We're
not teachers, so we're not really tutoring or anything like that. What we want
to focus on is motivation and self-esteem, and make the kids feel good about
themselves. We also want to let them know that someone cares about them beside
their teachers and their parents."
The mentors, with
the help of the city schools' drug-free program, have developed activities for
the children. For example, Central Reform volunteers made pencil holders covered
with stamps from around the world for each of the youngsters. And Cote Brilliante
Church volunteers made bookcases for each child out of cardboard boxes.
"The
idea behind these is to motivate, " Johnson said. "If there's a pencil
holder, hopefully the child will get pencils. If there's a bookcase, hopefully
the child will get books."
Chris
Hexter, who coordinates the efforts of Central Reform, said the mentors have
collected books and have been able to give each child a book each time the mentors
and students have met. "We hope that helps to motivate the youngsters to
read, " he said.
The volunteers
haven't left out the parents of the first graders.
"We
met with the students and their parents and guardians on a Saturday afternoon
in November, and we've tried to have activities to involve the whole family,
" Hexter said. For example, families and mentors attended a play in March
on Harriet Tubman at the Center of Contemporary Arts.
The mentors don't
want to stop there, however.
They
are planning to continue their efforts with the youngsters over the summer at
Cote Brilliante church.
One
of the sessions being planned features Washington University professor Gerald
Early, who will discuss good writing. The mentors also hope to put together
a program with the St. Louis Symphony.
"We've
also been able to bring some resources to the school, " Johnson said. "For
example, we've been able to provide calculators for all of the fifth-graders,
mittens for all the kids in the school and turkeys for the family of every first-grader."
"We'd
like to be able to provide some resources for other grades as well, " Hexter
said. He noted that the two religious institutions are planning a health fair
for the fall.
Both men said that it had taken some effort to put the program together. "It's not the easiest thing in the world to get 87 people - 50 percent from each congregation - to volunteer to be mentors, " Hexter said. Both men said they were fortunate to have the support of Rabbi Susan Talve of Central Reform and the Rev. William Gillespie at Cote Brilliante.
Some mentors had
become so gung-ho that they had begun to visit the students at home and to give
gifts to the youngsters.
"We
had a little problem there, " Johnson said. "We didn't want some kids
getting gifts and other kids getting none. And we didn't want kids to be disappointed
when a mentor showed up without a gift. So, we've decided that if we give a
gift to one kid, we've got to give gifts to them all."
"But
we decided that a gift of time is OK, " Hexter added.
The mentoring
program has helped cement a relationship between the two religious institutions
that was begun in 1991 and which now includes an annual program at Cote Brilliante
Church celebrating the birthday of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and
invitations for all to participate in the Jewish holidays of Rosh Hashana and
Yom Kippur. Congregants recently attended the play "Jar the Floor"
at the Black Rep and plan a meeting with Police Chief Clarence Harmon as the
speaker.
"We're
committed to working together as long as there's interest, " Hexter said.
"I think we all want to do what we can to help the community."
Copyright: COPYRIGHT © 1993, ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATC
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