4,300 volunteers needed in less than a month to mentor high school seniors
“I haven’t been in a classroom since I was ten.”
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - An organization in Tennessee is looking for more than 4,000 volunteers in less than a month. It’s one of the biggest numbers TNAchieves has asked for since they started the program.
Volunteers will mentor seniors in high school and help them with their college transition.
For first-year Nashville State Community College student, Shannon Fauth, college was a major adjustment after she was homeschooled.
“I haven’t been in a classroom since I was ten,” said Fauth.
That’s why she got paired up with a mentor at TNAchieves. Mentors work with five to seven high school students to prepare them for college. They meet in person or, like in Fauth’s case, they mostly text. Fauth said she asked her mentor questions about scholarships and study abroad.
“It’s been very helpful for me just to have someone who has more access to the information than I do,” said Fauth.
“Our goal is the busiest person in the community can give back and make a difference,” said Graham Thomas, tnAchieves Chief Community and Government Affairs Officer.
He said they only ask volunteers for one hour a month. Volunteers must be 21 years old, pass a background check, and they don’t even need a college degree.
It sounds simple, but they still have 4,300 openings.
“It’s a big number and we certainly need help,” said Thomas. “We need people in every single community across Tennessee and across Tennessee. Not a single one of our counties has hit their goal yet. So, if you’re watching and you’re wondering if we need help where you like, the answer is yes.”
Currently, TNAchieves said Rutherford County needs the most tutors, 310. Williamson County and Davidson County are not too far behind with 260 and 256 openings respectively.
For Fauth, the mentor program meant a lot. That’s why she hopes she will one day be the person her mentor was to her.
“I want to specifically work with teenagers and help prepare them to get into college and give them resources they may not have had,” said Faut.
If you or someone who would be a great mentor for tnAchieves, go to their website.
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