Mentor Program Has New Director
Tamara Jernigan of Monticello has taken the reins of the Jasper County Mentor Program and is looking forward to working with lots of new and returning mentors this year.
Mrs. Jernigan is a 2009 graduate of Piedmont Academy and she’s married to Ed Jernigan, a 2008 graduate of Jasper County High School. They have one child, a six month old son. Mr. Jernigan is a deputy in Butts County.
Mrs. Jernigan has an associate’s degree in both business administration and criminal justice from Georgia Perimeter. Some readers may recognize Mrs. Jernigan from the local Dairy Queen, where she worked for almost nine years. For the last two years she has processed payroll and kept books for a general contractor out of Greensboro called PAR Church Builders, Inc.
Mrs. Jernigan has spoken to the new teachers at the opening convocation, and spoke at the tailgate service at Monticello First United Methodist Church.
New mentor training is scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 17, Monday, August 22, Friday, August 26, and Tuesday, August 30. All workshops are under two hours and start at 5 p.m. at 1401 College Street (Behind the middle school).
To be a mentor, one must complete an application with references and a background check, attend one two-hour training, and commit to serve (visiting on school grounds for at least 30 minutes once a week during one academic year).
To volunteer to mentor or to donate, contact jaspercountymentor@gmail.com or 706-476-6219. The website is www.jcmentorprogram.com.
Mrs. Jernigan told the story of one child who has been mentored:
This child was referred to the mentor program a couple of years ago. He was not reading very well and his behavior was an issue. This young child went on a field trip with us where he was actually told he had to sit the next one out due to his behavior. His mentor worked with him, and made it her focus to teach him how he should behave and how to read.
On the next field trip that he attended with us he acted like a completely different child. This young boy not only improved his behavioral issues, he improved his reading as well. At the beginning of last year he was a third grader reading at a kindergarten level. At the end of the year he was reading at a second grade level, all because someone took the time to push him and hold him accountable.
“Countless other children have made strides academically and socially due to the encouragement from their volunteer mentors,” said Mrs. Jernigan.
“This past year we had two graduates of Jasper County High School who went through the mentor program and are now starting their first semester of college. These two graduates were the first recipients of our Jasper County Mentor Program Scholarship, where we awarded them a $2,000 scholarship with the proof of enrollment,” she said.
Last school year, 100 children in grades K-12 were mentored, with mentors in the schools 47 hours a week collectively. Last school year there were 98 mentors, 38 of which were juniors and seniors at both Jasper County High School and Piedmont Academy. This academic year, 56 mentors will be returning.
At least 55 children are in need of a new mentor this academic year. Anyone who is interested in mentoring is asked to contact the mentor program.
Mentors have and are continuing to making a dramatic positive impact in the lives of children, through many ways. They are encouraging school attendance and participation in extracurricular activities. They are sharing varied life experiences and connecting them with post-secondary options. They are helping children achieve AR goals, said Mrs. Jernigan.
This coming year will be devoted to the natural wonders of Georgia, said Mrs. Jernigan, and we’ll be visiting Tallulah Gorge, Amicalola Falls, Stone Mountain, Radium Springs, Providence Canyon, and Warm Springs.
