PSG considers program for
children
By Stacy Robinson
Staff
Writer
A mentoring, tutoring and baby-sitting program
may become available for children living at the Purdue Village. Purdue
Student Government is researching the possibility of providing these
services to Purdue Village residents.
Travis Conley, executive director of services for
PSG, met with the staff at Purdue Village to discuss the need for these
services. They decided to first conduct a survey at Purdue Village before
implementing any plans of action.
Dana Boynak, PSG special projects director, will
coordinate the survey.
The mentoring program will be similar to the Big
Brothers and Big Sisters program and will pair children at the Purdue
Village with Purdue student volunteers, said Conley.
Some Purdue Village residents have already expressed
interest in the program. Heather Blow, who is among those residents
interested, is a community assistant at Purdue Village, a single mother
with three children and a student in the School of Consumer and Family
Sciences.
"There is a huge international population
at the Purdue Village, so it would be nice to share the cultures,"
said Blow, referring to the mentoring program, which could include matching
American students with the children of international residents.
Blow also felt the mentoring program would be beneficial
to single parents who attend classes full-time because they are often
unable to spend the amount of time they would like with their children.
"I would love it if a male student could play
basketball with my boys," said Blow.
The Purdue Village community assistants have organized
baby-sitting evenings in the past and have had such an enormous response
that they actually had to turn children away, said Blow.
Conley said the plans for these programs are currently
in limbo and that the survey must first be conducted to determine exactly
what is needed and to help them decide how many volunteers must be recruited.
The programs will be open to anyone interested
in volunteering and police checks will be conducted on all people involved,
which could take an additional three weeks.
This is the first time PSG has tried this type
of program at the Purdue Village, but they have a similar program at
the Senior Center. They also have sponsored Halloween and Christmas
parties at the Purdue Village in the past.
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