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Children with one or more parents in jail, often miss out on crucial one on one time with an adult. Some of these children are at a higher risk of being incarcerated as adults. Shapes Mentoring Program in Springfield works with kids of jailed parents to help them not follow in their parents' footsteps. As part of our two part series on mentoring, KSMU's Emily Nash files this report.
Shapes Mentoring Program matches kids of jailed parents with mentors from Greene and Christian county.
Mentor Mary Beth King and 12 year old Carly LeDoux are one of those matches.
The Shapes program stresses the importance of one-on-one mentoring
That's one reason why the pairing process is so thorough.
Carly, says both she and Mary Beth filled out long surveys about their interests.
"...and it said a whole bunch of things that I liked, and the first person that he brought in that matched the profile was Mary Beth. And I just like...well it was kind of like love at first sight. But friendship actually."
Mary Beth is finishing graduate school at Evangel.
She says Shapes did a good job pairing her and Carly together.
"They matched up, evidently really well, because we really can finish each other's sentences. And like I'm quirky and she's quirky and we just hit it off."
Mary Beth first became interested in Shapes after the director of the program talked to one of her graduate classes.
She says, after she heard him speak, she was hooked.
"You know he came in and he talked about it and he talked about the need, and he gave some stats about kids that are in single parent homes or kids of incarcerated parents and things like that, and uh, just talked about how one person could just spending an hour a week could make that big of a difference and I thought, that seems like an hour well spent.
Nash: Has it been just an hour a week or has it turned into a lot more?
Mary Beth: (Laughter) oh, its never just an hour! We get a long really well, so we could spend 4 or 5 hours at the mall, bowling, we like to eat, uh sometimes it could just be an hour, but most of the time we like to make an afternoon of it."
Both Carly and Mary Beth agree they have competitive spirits, especially when it comes to bowling.
The two seem to act more like sisters than mentors.
"Nash: Do you feel like you relate to her even though there is kind of an age difference?
Carly: Yeah, actually yeah. She acts like a two year old....(laughter) no not literally. But she acts like, she can like get into my brain, and act how I would."
Mary Beth says usually they spend their afternoons on a fun outing, but she also helps Carly with her homework.
"We don't usually use that as our outing time, but we have gone to the Library before and worked on stuff like that. And just mostly checking on her, seeing how her day is, and you know if she needs a filter, you know sometimes she says 'you know the day was great!' and we just go out and have a good time, but uh you know if it has been a bad day or something we may spend a little bit of time talking about that."
Carly, says she's learned to enjoy life more since hanging out with Mary Beth.
"I've learned to be more happier...and...well, I'm more joyful and playful, and something full full....and I...yeah I enjoy more things in life now."
Both say the last six months has laid a foundation for a long term friendship.
"Nash: How long do you think you will keep this going?
Carly: Until we have to end it probably, which will like be never.
Mary Beth: Well, it's a one year commitment, uh but as long as I am in Springfield and don't take a job somewhere else or something...
Carly: Wait it goes for one year?
Mary Beth: Yeah!
Carly: I did not know that!
Mary Beth: yeah!
Carly: Are we able to have you longer?
Mary Beth: As Long as I am in Springfield.
Carly: yessss."
For more information about Shapes Mentoring Program we have a link to the Shapes web site at KSMU. ORG.
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