Sigma Pi - Cornell University

Page 4 T his fall semester, College Mentors for Kids has once again pro- vided elementary school students from nearby underprivileged communities with the opportunity to engage in fun educational ac- tivities with supportive Cornell mentors. Dan Sanderson '21 was one of 10 members who joined College Mentors for Kids for the first time this semester. One of the things that drew him to the pro- gram was the opportunity to spend time with the older brothers who were already a part of the organization. Dan explained why this was the highlight of the week for many of the brothers who volunteered: "I feel like there are few opportunities to make a positive impact on the Ithaca community in such a fun way. For me, having the chance to forget about schoolwork for a couple hours to just have fun with elementary school kids was amazing. Seeing my "Little Buddy" (the organization's term for the younger students) run off the bus each week to tell me about his day was so gratifying. He began to really start looking up to me, and I got the feeling that I was having a large influence on the way he viewed learning." With ideas for the organization's weekly activities coming from multiple people, creative games and lessons were never in short supply. Transportation Directors Max Cook '20 and Cam Peterson '20 would hear the students' reactions to the activities as they super- vised the bus ride home. Max explained that one of their favorite ac- tivities this year was an engineering lesson where the students built rollercoasters out of pool noodles and marbles. Max smiled as he heard the kids, none of whom had ever ridden a rollercoaster, brag to each other about how fast their marble flew down the noodles. College Mentors for Kids is remarkable in that by facilitating the mentor relationships between college and elementary school stu- dents, it creates positive influence for both sides. For this reason, the organization has long been a favorite of Mu Chapter, and the brothers look forward to seeing what the next semester of College Mentors for Kids has in store. If you are interested in learning more about this organization or would like to donate, we invite you to visit collegementors.kintera.org/cornell. Justin LaClair '19 walks with his "Little Buddy" around the Cornell Lab of Ornithology this fall. College Mentors for Kids PrograM equiPs MeMbers with sKills to eduCate and lead

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