The Montville Recreation Program offers an opportunity for
students ages eight and up to become "mentors" to children with special
needs, enabling these children to participate in various recreation
programs with the assistance of a "buddy." This volunteer program is
run by the Montville Township Recreation Department and encourages
community acceptance and awareness on all levels.
How to become a mentor for Pathways
This program begins with a two-hour training workshop that
provides information on various diagnoses and
teaches you how to be a
friend to children with special needs and to assist them in many ways.
It
offers hands-on experience and interaction, plus
workstations where children actually get to feel
what having a disability is like.
Melinda Jennis, a physical therapist who works with the pediatric
population, leads this workshop, which is offered several times a year. Early
registration is suggested, as classes fill up fast.
After completing the training program, mentors
can volunteer to assist children with special
needs at
any of the recreation programs offered through the Montville Township
Recreation Department or with the Morris County
Challenger League. Mentors receive certificates of
community service from Pathways for the hours they
volunteer. Mentors receive a monthly
newsletter listing new programs.
Next Mentor Training Workshop
Date:
Monday, December 1, 2008
Time:
4:00pm-6:00pm
Location: Municipal Building, Council
Chambers
195 Changebridge Road,
Montville NJ 07045
Pre-registration Required:
Due to high demand, you must register prior to the
training. Registration is $10 and handled on a
first-come, first-served basis. Maximum 25 people
per class. When a class is full, we will put your
name on a waiting list and contact you for the
next available opening. We
apologize that we cannot take same-day arrivals.
If you need to cancel, contact us as soon as
possible so we can take the next person waiting.
At the
completion of the
training, you'll receive our Mentors of
Pathways t-shirt. If you miss
the training without notifying us, you will forfeit the t-shirt and
the
$10. Parents are welcome to stay and see what it's
all about.
To register:
Complete a registration form and return it prior to the
training along with $10 (cash or check). Include
t-shirt size. You will receive an email
confirmation that you are registered. Click here for the registration form.
Make
check payable to: Pathways for Exceptional
Children
Return your
completed form via:
● Mail: Pathways Mentor Training, 55
Madison Avenue, Suite 400, Morristown, NJ 07960
●
Drop-off:
Payment
Drop Box, Municipal Building, 195 Changebridge Road.
Mark the envelope “Recreation / Pathways.”
Questions? Contact Tiffany Williams by
phone
973-331-3366
or
email
at
mentor4pathways@yahoo.com
and leave a detailed message.
Signing up for programs
Before mentors can participate in any
Pathways programs, they must send a permission
slip completed and signed by a parent or guardian
to
Pathways Mentor
Program, 55 Madison Avenue, Suite 400,
Morristown, NJ 07960. Click
here to download one.
Mentors need to sign up for the programs they
want. Sign up is on a first-come,
first-served basis.
Current programs are
listed in the Pathways Mentor Newsletter that is
emailed monthly to all mentors and accessible on
the
Mentors' Page.
To sign up for a program, email
Tiffany Williams at
mentor4pathways@yahoo.com or call
973-331-3366
and leave a detailed message.
If you
aren't receiving the Mentor Newsletter
and would like to, please email your request, including your name,
email address and phone, to
mentor4pathways@yahoo.com.
Programs available to mentors
Recreation:
We have many programs for children with special
needs that require
mentors to assist them, including team sports such
as rugby, soccer, basketball, baseball, lacrosse,
bowling, and
individual activities such as dance, swimming,
etc.
Pathways Home-Based Buddies: This is a
"one-on-one" program. The mentor
meets with a child with special
needs on an ongoing basis for play dates, to be a
companion for activities, or a
homework buddy. The parent/guardian of that child will
always be present to supervise and provide
training on how to work with
their child.
Learning Through Life: This program is an
ongoing series of classes
designed to teach
children with special needs the skills needed to function more independently in
life. Some of these skills include talking on the
telephone, cooking, shopping, money management, going to movies and restaurants, social
skills etc. Mentors participate in the 4- to 6-week
sessions consisting of classes and field
trips to help reinforce these life skills to their "buddies."
Challenger League: The Morris County Challenger League has invited anyone who has
completed our Mentor Training Workshop to be a
mentor on any of their teams. They have children
with special needs from all over Morris County
who have joined their league which offers
activities such as baseball, soccer, bowling,
basketball, etc.
Lead Mentor Program: This is a yearly opportunity to be involved at the forefront of
Pathways. Mentors entering 6th grade or above
can
apply to become a lead mentor. Once selected,
lead mentors will attend
Pathways
monthly leadership
meetings where they will receive
formal training in developing leadership
abilities, designing innovative programs for
children with disabilities, creating flyers,
logos, web pages and newsletters. They will
learn skills and techniques of public speaking,
writing grants, fundraising, and publishing
articles in the media. Mentors will choose
individual projects that provide hands-on
experience in areas of leadership, education,
recreation, and social reform. The program also offers an opportunity to receive a post-secondary
scholarship. The term
runs from September to September. The 2008-2009
session is in progress. To see what's going on,
visit the Lead
Mentor Page.
