The Wyoming Community Foundation has awarded Affinity Mentoring a $2,750 grant to support expansion to Godfrey-Lee Early Childhood Center in Wyoming, MI. This award will be combined with the support from Molina Healthcare, Steelcase Foundation, and the Dollar General Literacy Foundation to:
Recruit, screen, train, and match 30 mentors with a student
Stock the Mentor Center with games, activities, crafts, books, and other resources
Provide ongoing match support to retain and support students and their mentors
So far, 17 kindergarteners and first graders have been matched with a mentor, but there is still a need. If you are interested in becoming a mentor, apply here.
The Wyoming Community Foundation, a regional affiliate of Grand Rapids Community Foundation, evaluates local needs and opportunities and looks to fund projects that address the areas of art & culture, community development, education, environment, health, or social needs.
If you or your organization would like to support Affinity’s expansion to Wyoming please contact rhumphreys@affinitymentoring.org or check out our Community Partners Page.
Executive Director, Laura Ward, and Site Coordinator, Rocio Moreno, accept the award on behalf of Affinity.
The Grand Rapids Chamber celebrated the 10th Year of EPIC (Entrepreneurial, Progressive, Innovative, Collaborative), the premier business award celebration that recognizes both the businesses and the individuals that foster community growth, demonstrate innovation, and have championed alongside others as mentors and collaborators in our region at 20 Monroe Live!.
Each award category recognizes those who are leading in growth and innovation, strengthening the business community, enabling collaboration and connections, and accomplishing incredible endeavors with a focus on the future.
This year, over 150 nominations were submitted for consideration. After the selection committee comprised of Grand Rapids business leaders studied the nominees’ newest initiatives, collaborative efforts, impact in the community, and philanthropic vision, 40 finalists were announced in September, and 9 recipients were honored at the EPIC Awards Celebration on Wednesday, October 30 at 20 Monroe Live, including Affinity Mentoring at the “Nonprofit of the Year!”
Executive Director, Laura Ward, accepted the award on behalf of the Affinity team, “We share this win with our 1,700+ students their families and their mentors. We know it takes all of us to lift up children through a supportive network and we’re grateful for our 30+ Community partners that invest in the life of children and sustaining this important work.”
“We’d also like to thank our partner schools, Burton Elementary, Burton Middle School, Southwest Community Campus, and Godfrey-Lee Early Childhood Center for inviting us to be a part of their school community and walking alongside our work,” says Laura. “Affinity Mentoring values relationships and it starts with our people – our dedicated team members and board members who bring the passion, drive, and commitment to quality mentoring. And we’re just getting started!”
Join Affinity Mentoring foran evening to reflect on our journey to independence and future growth. The Mars Hill community has played a significant role in building, sustaining, and championing our mission to lift up children in a supportive network.
Come witness firsthand, the impact of your contributions of service and financial support. As a compelling force for good, we want to thank you for your devotion to the Burton families. There will be refreshments, a tour of the Burton Mentor Center, and a short presentation to share the measurable change you have made and where we’re headed next.
Date: Thursday, October 17, 2019 Time: 6pm-7:30pm Location: Burton Elementary
The EPIC Awards (Entrepreneurial, Progressive, Innovative and Collaborative) recognize businesses or individuals who are leading the way in growth and innovation, strengthening our business community, enabling collaboration and connections, and accomplishing incredible endeavors with their focus on the future.
Winners will be announced at the event on October 30, 2019. Get Tickets.
Date: Wednesday, October 30, 2019 5:30 PM – 8:00 PM Location: 20 Monroe Live
11 Ottawa Ave NW
Grand Rapids, MI 49503
Molina Healthcare has awarded Affinity Mentoring $2,500 to support expansion to Godfrey-Lee Early Childhood Center. Molina’s support will be used to help cover the cost of recruitment, screening, training, and ongoing match support for the new cohort of mentor matches.
“Molina Healthcare of Michigan is proud to support Affinity Mentoring’s new site at Godfrey-Lee Early Childhood Center. Affinity Mentoring is working to interrupt the cycle of poverty and improve the life of our communities children by pairing kindergartners and first graders with engaging mentors for one hour, once a week. We were impressed to learn that when pairing a child with a quality mentor the student has better attendance, attitudes toward school, chances of going onto higher education, more likely to avoid drug use, stronger relationships with their parents, and better health,” says Heidi McGlinnen AVP Community Engagement of Molina Healthcare of Michigan.
Heidi explains, “At Molina Healthcare, we share similar goals by working every day to reduce barriers to physical and behavioral health care for vulnerable populations. We are committed to working collaboratively with community-based organizations, like Affinity Mentoring, to create communities that are stronger, happier, and healthier.”
Mentor Center Ribbon Cutting at Godfrey-Lee ECC.
Affinity’s expansion to Godfrey-Lee Early Childhood Center was made possible with seed money from Steelcase Foundation, but it does not cover all of the costs. It is with continued support from individuals and organizations, like Molina and Dollar General, that the new site will be fully supported. [If you would like to help support, donate here.]
First Mentor Match at the ECC!
Approximately 30-40 new volunteers will be recruited, screened and trained in both mentoring and the fundamentals of early literacy. The volunteers will be matched with a student in Kindergarten, 1st or 2nd grade. The mentor will work in collaboration with the teacher and Site Coordinator to support the student in developing his/her literacy skills. The program will be evaluated by looking at number of matches involved, student achievement, student attendance and social emotional skill development.
Molina’s Story Affinity Mentoring and Molina Healthcare share many of the same values and are both looking to make a positive impact in under-resourced communities. Molina’s mission is to provide quality health care to people receiving government assistance. Molina was created to fill a need in quality healthcare.
In 1980, emergency room physician, C. David Molina, MD, noticed that low-income, uninsured or non-English speaking patients were coming to the emergency room in need of general health care services. Without family doctors, they were not always getting the right care and information. These underserved families deserved better and Dr. Molina set out to do something about it. He opened a clinic in Long Beach, California to provide low-income individuals and families with a place to go to get personalized health care from Molina doctors. Now, nearly 40 years later Molina has over 3.5 million members and serves communities across the United States.
The Godfrey-Lee site is still in need of more support, you can help!
