YouthFriends Trains Volunteer Number 1,000

North Kansas City Schools YouthFriends program hit a milestone this year with the addition of its 1,000 volunteer. Christa Harris moved to Kansas City this past April after graduating from the University of Chicago. She was a Big Sister to a 9-year-old in Chicago and is looking forward to being a YouthFriend at Antioch Middle School.

Christa is an employee of Cerner, which has been a YouthFriend supporter for 15 years. An additional 28 Cerner eMentors will soon be matched with students based on interest. They will meet at the school where students will give building tours. From there they will e-mail each other, asking questions and getting feedback and support online. Cerner YouthFriends also eat lunch with their students several times a semester. Each spring, students visit the Cerner Campus to see their mentors in action at their work.

Pam Polson, district YouthFriends coordinator, says, “This has been a life-enriching event for our students to visit their mentors at an international corporation. We are breaking all the records this year with new YouthFriends.” She encourages the community to get involved and make a difference in the life of a child. Contact YouthFriends coordinator Pam Polson at (816) 413-5470 for an application to become a YouthFriend in this growing mentoring program. Visit YouthFriends online at youthfriends.org or in the district at w4.nkcsd.k12.mo.us/~youthfriends/.