SALEM, Ohio – Unlocking Potential, United Way of Northern Columbiana County’s mentoring program for fifth and sixth grade students, thrived last year, according to George W.S. Hays, executive director of the agency.
The mentoring program is in its fifth year at Salem Southeast Elementary School and its second year at East Palestine Middle School.
It emphasizes students’ awareness of personal safety, respect for self and others and responsibility.
Mentors encourage the students to attend school regularly, do their best academically, and obey all school rules, Hays says.
Each program has 25 to 30 students, and each student has a mentor who is with them for the entire two-year program.
High inflation caused many residents of northern Columbiana County to struggle to meet basic needs last year, says the chapter executive director. Lack of food, housing and utility insecurity, and lack of transportation were problems most frequently reported to United Way of Northern Columbiana Country, says Hays.
Pictured: The Columbiana County Courthouse in Lisbon. 636Buster, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.