Grant County Volunteer Mentor Program Awarded Optimist Club Grant

L-R: Lisa Sanger, Grant County Social Services, Services Support Specialist andTerri Ellis, Optimist Club President

Lisa Sanger from the Grant County Social Services accepted a $500 check from the Platteville Optimist Club for the Grant County Volunteer Mentor Program. Grant County Social Services and the Volunteer Mentor Program stive to recruit volunteers to mentor, teach, and support the youth of Grant County. This organization was formerly known as the Big Buddy Program. They expanded their name to encompass all volunteers.

The program currently has seventeen volunteers, of which many are college students, that are serving youth ages 5-17. The grant will be used towards incentives given to the "big buddies" to take their "little buddies" on outings and activities that promote personal growth, increase self-esteem, cope with emotions, and skill development such as the National Mississippi River Museum in Dubuque, Cave of the Mounds, and more. Lisa stressed that there is a need for more volunteers for this rewarding program.