Aloha Family,
We pray that you and your loved ones are staying safe. Due to COVID-19 concerns, the Department of Education has extended spring break until April 7th for all students and faculty.
But that doesn't mean mentoring has to stop.
Now more than ever, the children we work with may be feeling isolated and lonely. And we still stand strongly by our mission: to eradicate loneliness from our public school keiki and provide someone in their lives that genuinely cares. In these hard times, it is our opportunity to truly show up for these children. To show them they really do matter. In the coming week, we will be rolling out new mentoring options for all mentors. We will be asking our mentors, (adults and high school students), if they are comfortable, to reach out to their mentees in either three of these impactful ways:
1. A phone call (once a week)
2. Video Chat (once a week)
3. Snail Mail (snail pace, or however long the mail takes!)
Of course, we will ask parents for approval of these mentoring methods beforehand and they are more than welcome to sit-in during these conversations. There will be firm guidelines for these forms of communication and we will be checking in with each mentor to provide support and further guidance.
We are working hard to create resources for our mentors to make this process easier. There will be a theme for each week, topics and questions to use with mentees, as well as other online tips and resources we can offer. We are doing everything in our power to make this easier for our mentors and even more importantly, show our hurting keiki that we still care.
Toilet paper may be running out but our grace is not. Let us bring hope to people in these times and show God's abundant and common grace. Please look out for our updates through email and our websites at commongrace.org and malamamentors.org. Stay safe and connected.
Best to you and your family,
Aries Jackson
Executive Director
Common Grace
(808) 783-1097 (please feel free to call me with any concerns. I am willing and eager to help!)
STUDENT MEALS
During the extended closure, HIDOE will continue to provide student meals, including providing grab-and-go breakfast and lunch at select schools to children 18 years and under.
QUARANTINE MENTORING PLANS
As COVID-19 affects our schools and islands, we have developed a 6-week mentoring plan in an effort to maintain mentor and child relationships. We will be releasing detailed plans weekly.
WAYS TO HELP
Here are some ways you can help your community or get help for yourself or a loved one during this vulnerable time.