A unique small-ratio mentoring and tutoring program, Path To Shine® has become a beacon of hope and possibility for elementary-school children across middle and north Georgia. With nearly 200 actively enrolled children and 140 dedicated volunteers in 18 different locations, Path To Shine is excited to announce the kick-off of its 2019 Share the Love fundraising campaign.
Share the Love runs throughout February, the “Month of Love”, to raise funds and awareness for Path To Shine (PTS). You can support Share the Love in two simple ways.
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“Like” and “Follow” us on Facebook and Twitter. Throughout the 28 days of February, we’ll share fun facts, great photos and important information with the hashtag #PTSShareTheLove
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Make a Donation of $28 That’s just $1 per day for the month of February. We’re working with about 200 children to provide books, enrichment activities, and educational support, while teaching life skills. Donate here!
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Share the Love! Spread the word across your social networks. The more people who know about us, the more children we can encourage to graduate from high school. Forward this email to a friend as a first step
Path To Shine’s desire to love like Jesus is rooted in the ministry’s founding belief that children can benefit from relationships with caring, trusted adults who are not family members. Since 2010, the ministry has worked to foster dreams in children such that they are motivated to graduate from high school.
What makes Path To Shine Unique?
Small ratios and small groups differentiate Path To Shine (PTS) from other programs. With no more than two children per adult volunteer, and a guideline of no more than 20 children in a program, PTS is set up to create community. This sense of community is reinforced with a commitment of 90% attendance for the children and 85% attendance for the mentors, and this consistency means a reliable presence in each of the local communities where PTS takes place. Smaller programs are more sustainable and several have been running for five years or more. Additionally, PTS developed their own curriculum with a big emphasis on life skills.
PTS’s Whole-Child Approach: Character Building, Guest Speakers, Life Enrichment.
A typical PTS afternoon includes quiet time for Mentors to work with the same one or two students each week, helping with homework, reading together, catching up on the week’s events, and building trusting relationships. Snack and play time are also valuable parts of the program. Research shows that play empowers kids to explore what they enjoy, and play time strengthens mentor-student bonds.
Another key element of PTS is the curriculum which centers on structured group time. Through stories told using books or guest speakers, group time is an opportunity to practice attentive listening, comprehension and learn valuable life skills. Sometimes, older children read aloud to the younger ones. Other times, guest speakers from different backgrounds and professions share their life journeys and the choices they made growing up that helped them become successful adults. During presentations, children practice their manners of listening attentively, sitting quietly, and not interrupting. Afterwards, there’s time to ask questions and practice introductions. Social skills and graces in action!
Finally, there is only so much a child can learn in the classroom. A lot of what we learn is outside the school building – experiences and adventures many people take for granted. For Path To Shine children, an outing to a horse stable, a museum or a Braves game offers a rare opportunity to experience something new.
Path To Shine’s 2019 Share the Love Goals
We have $12,000 budgeted for enrichment activities, books (every child gets brand new books to keep every May and December), and book-store gift cards (for our 5th graders who will be going on to Middle School). Support our campaign with a donation, and Share the Love by encouraging a friend to do the same.