grades and behavior. “I used to get in trouble a lot in class,” he said. “I’ve been talking to people here at the church. They’ve taught me to stay focused.” Before EAGLES, Kaleb Giles, also going into the
ninth grade, said he typically didn’t do his home- work. Now he does and his grades have benefited. The students are “getting a chance to see there
Photos: Aaron Canipe and courtesy of Drew Dodd
are different choices they can make,” said David Bryant, pastor of Zion. “It’s given them an oppor- tunity to make choices to empower themselves and find more effective ways to go forward.” Participants pray before each session and before
They help the parents, who are struggling to find that for their child. It’s such a good way of forming a safety net from the teachers to the administration to the parents to the religious community.” Once students have been recommended, Drew
Dodd meets with their parents and guardians to explain the program and get their support. Currently, EAGLES includes 18 students. Ten volunteers, most from Zion, serve as tutors and mentors. Students Riley Bollinger and Stephen Bryant
from Lenoir-Rhyne University, Hickory, help out with the program and receive scholarship assistance from Zion in exchange. They bring the experience of having worked as counselors at Lutheran camps. “[The program] gives the kids a safe place to
just be kids,” Bryant said. “They can be active, do homework. They don’t have to worry about outside peer pressure.” Dakota Bentley, a ninth-grader in the fall, credits EAGLES with helping him improve his
the meal. They discuss God, but program leaders make a point to not preach to the students. “We try to show it through what we do,” Drew Dodd said. Volunteer Barbara Mahnke, a member of Holy
Trinity Lutheran Church, Hickory, said she’s driven to help provide students the opportunity to do well and to experience success. She and others say the work is fulfilling. Linda Morton, another volunteer and member of
Zion, agrees: “[We’re] reaching out to kids outside the church door; it’s such a powerful program.”
For more information, contact Drew Dodd at
dodd1@charter.net.
To download a study guide for this article, click on the “Spiritual practices & resources” tab at
LivingLutheran.org.
Knowles is a freelance writer and former religion and business reporter with the Chicago Sun-Times.
CONGREGATIONAL LIFE •
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