Buena Vista University Hosts BV Buddies Winter Visit Day

The BVU student mentoring program brought 40 middle school and high school students to campus for a day of service, food, and games.

On Feb. 9, 2019, BV Buddies, the student mentoring program at Buena Vista University, brought about 40 middle school and high school students to the BVU campus for a day of service, food, and games with their mentors.

BV Buddies, a student organization on BVU campus, is a part of the broader STARS Mentoring community program at Storm Lake Middle School which is led by Angie Woodford, program coordinator. Approximately 70 BVU students host large events each semester, and each mentor/mentee pair meets at least once a week to participate in learning and relationship building activities with each other.

“Our mentors focus on being a positive person in the student’s life.”

Tawney Schreier, BVU AmeriCorps Civic Engagement Coordinator

“Our mentors focus on being a positive person in the student’s life,” says Tawney Schreier, BVU’s AmeriCorps civic engagement coordinator. “In addition to their parents, kids benefit from having multiple positive role models in their lives. They need a third, fourth, or fifth person. The more positive role models that rally behind them, the better the kids will do in school and in meeting their lifelong goals.”

During the winter visit day, the mentors and mentees participated in a service project, making tie blankets which were taken to Upper Des Moines in Storm Lake. The men’s basketball team joined in the fun by eating lunch with the kids and playing games with them as well.  

“Because BVU and President Merchant have made it a priority for students to give back to the Storm Lake community, BV Buddies is a really fun and impactful way for our students to get involved and build relationships with Storm Lake residents,” says Schreier. “We recently had a student who graduated tell Angie the hardest part of graduating was going to be leaving his mentee because they developed such a strong bond,” she says.

New students sign up to mentor each year. For any adult community members interested in becoming a part of STARS Mentoring, contact Angie Woodford at awoodford@slcsd.org.

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