Megan Mazzucca and Anna Scott from Academy 4, both site coordinators for the program, spoke to us on September 11th. Anna recruits mentors for Hart Elementary school. Academy 4 provides mentors for 4th graders at the participating elementary schools. The mentors are with the children 90 minutes once a month on Fridays. 15% of children they work with live in poverty and the schools they work with are Title I schools. Academy 4 has found that children need positive relationships; it is the most important thing for them, and nothing worthwhile or lasting takes place outside of relationships. Between Texas and Memphis, TN, Academy 4 provides mentors in 55 schools for about 4000 4th graders. 6000 mentors and volunteers are needed to cover all of these students. Each month the mentors focus on a different leadership trait with their mentees. The mentors show the students that there are people outside of the school that care about them and their teachers and their school. Megan and Anna showed us a video about Academy 4 Fridays and Academy 4 Spark Plug activities that take place before the mentoring session. 4th graders were chosen because: (1) their thinking is moving from concrete to abstract, (2) they are becoming more individualistic, (3) they are more receptive to mentoring, and (4) 4th graders still like adults. Academy 4 provides a structured plan for the mentors that includes a workbook. Megan and Anna also showed a video about the impact on the students. They described how mentors are trained and prepared for their visits with the children. The program’s evaluation shows increased student engagement, greater sense of self-worth, improved attendance, adoption of leadership traits, improved behavior and more positive outlook on life. Academy 4 has received the Governor’s Volunteer Award. Megan an Anna provided the members with information about signing up as a mentor at Hart Elementary. They currently need 96 volunteers to have one mentor for each student. If you can volunteer, please reach out to Anna Scott at anna.scott@academy4.org.