http://www.oregonlive.com/clackamascounty/index.ssf/2009/01/lunch_buddy_linkup_pairs_adult.html
Volunteers are asked to commit to visiting their "buddy" either weekly or twice a month for a school year. Johnson said she welcomes a wide range of volunteers: high school and college students who want to become teachers, business people and retirees. "It's at lunchtime, so that makes it possible for lots of people," she said, adding that lunch is provided for the adult, paid for by the school's parent/faculty organization.
Johnson stressed that volunteers are not there to deal with behavior issues or problems. "In this program, the kids don't see that adult as an authority figure," she said. "There's no condition on the relationship -- just support. They're not there to judge or correct them.
"Some kids just need someone extra to pay attention to them," Johnson said.
School counselor Brooke Johnson (no relation) selects students for the program based on referrals from teachers. Children range in age from 5 to 10
Kassy Babeckos is a kindergarten teacher at the school and Lunch Buddy to a second-grader.
"For me, it's flattering," she said. "He wants me here. I also get the feeling he's genuinely happy that I've come to have lunch with him."
Angela Johnson is hoping more adults will make the 45-minute commitment.
Be a lunch buddy
What: Volunteers of all ages are needed to share lunch and visit with students in kindergarten through fourth grade at John Wetten Elementary School.
Commitment: Either weekly or twice a month during the school year, preferably on the same day of the week, for consistency. Lunch periods are 45 minutes.
When: Lunch periods run from 11 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.
To volunteer: Call Angela Johnson at 503-656-6564 or johnsona@ gladstone.k12.or.us
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