Mentoring program seeks to help youth succeed By Francine Knowles Helping teens soar is the focus of a North
Carolina tutoring and mentorship program that involves a small group of Lutheran volunteers working in partnership with public schools. Based out of Zion Lutheran Church, Hickory,
N.C., the program is called EAGLES—an acronym for its focus on education, adventure, God, leadership, the environment and service. The program is geared for male students
struggling with poor grades and personal challenges from Jacobs Fork Middle School and Fred T. Foard High School in nearby Newton. The students meet for three hours every week
in Zion’s gym to receive help with homework from volunteer tutors, play sports and eat a meal. They also interact with the mentors’ pet pooches, who have become beloved mascots. The program launched in fall 2014 and is the
brainchild of Zion members Drew and Kay Dodd. Both were beginning retirement and looking for ways to give back. “I knew I wanted to do something with kids,” said
Drew Dodd, a former engineer. “It occurred to me the church has all the facilities you could ever need to do this program. We’re doing this on a shoestring [budget], so it slowly evolved from that.” The program received $5,000 in funding from
the North Carolina Synod its first year. Supported by church donations, this year’s budget is $10,000, including $4,000 for scholarships to Lutheridge Camp, Arden, N.C. The students and mentors have volunteered at
local charities and have participated in several adven- tures, including ziplining, mountain hiking, flying in a private plane and visiting the BMW plant. This summer the teens will spend a week at Lutheridge. Seth Hendrix, who will be in 10th grade in
‘ They sang about love and it made me feel worse.’
the fall, has seen benefits from participating in EAGLES. He said he began falling behind in third grade after he missed several weeks of school and began skimming by. Since the EAGLES program his grades have gone from Cs and Ds to As and Bs. “Now I read a lot; I write a lot,” Hendrix said.
“I’m amazed at how smart I truly can be. I’ve learned a lot [about] how to respect my elders or anyone, and I’ve learned how to act in public, how to talk appropriately.”
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EAGLES reach new heights The program’s primary goals are making sure the kids graduate from high school and “to have them realize they can achieve great things in life,” Drew Dodd said. “We talk a lot about their life goals. We talk about behavior. We’re trying to help them see that they can have a bright future.” Before launching the program, the Dodds sought
advice from counselors and church members and met with officials at Jacobs Fork. Melanie Sigmon, school counselor for Jacobs Fork,
said the Dodds approached her with their vision. The board approved the program, and Sigmon serves as liaison between the school and Zion, and connects with teachers who recommend students for the program. Sigmon said the teachers suggest students who are
struggling with academics, those who are capable but just aren’t producing. “These students need that extra support, that
nudge toward some sense of purpose,” she said. “EAGLES does that. They kind of bridge that gap.
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