Curtis Dawkins compared the first "Men in Action" volunteer day at North Aiken Elementary to the give and take of a ball game.
“It's a back-and-forth situation,” said Dawkins, who has taught first grade at the school since 2001. “Someone serves; someone hits the ball back, and we get a lot of things accomplished at one time.”
More than 40 fathers and community members, wearing bright yellow T-shirts, participated in the Men in Action program April 24, volunteering their time and talents to read to students, help them with math, play games and learn about the students' and school's needs.
“We're trying to make sure that the fathers and the community leaders are involved at North Aiken Elementary so the kids can have mentors,” Dawkins said. “It provides a great environment for the kids because it lets them know the community cares about them. For the community members, they get to see what we actually do, what the challenges are in school and how they can help.”
After lunch, Aiken High Principal Garen Cofer spoke to the men, and students from each class talked to the mentors about the specific kinds of help they need in the classroom.
Read the full Aiken Standard article HERE.