Kids Hope USA
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Contact US
If you have questions or would like more information on registration, please email us at [email protected]
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Photo Albums
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Kids Hope USA is a national church-based mentoring program that was launched at St. Ignatius in October 2015. Through this ministry, we provide one-on-one mentoring to at-risk students at nearby Kaiser Elementary School and partner with the school to support teachers and students.Why is Kids Hope so important?
Kids Hope USA touches children's hearts through mentoring. On a national level, students who met with a Kids Hope USA mentor for just one year showed:
◦ 65% improved in educational success.
◦ 79% improved in socio/emotional competency.
◦ 56% improved in attitude toward risky behavior.
The St. Ignatius partnership with Kaiser ElementaryKaiser, located within Klein ISD, is home to over 700 students in grades K-5, and is only a few miles from our parish. Thanks to the love and generosity of our parishioners, a dedicated partnership began with Kaiser Elementary five years ago when we first collected school supplies for teachers. Kaiser teachers typically spend hundreds of dollars of their own money each year to help their students who are unable to afford them. Without the school supplies, students show up unprepared for learning while already facing additional financial and emotional stressors, through no-fault of their own.
2018 SCHOOL SUPPLY DRIVE
Many thanks to our parishioners who donated school supplies and volunteered to help sort, deliver and present bags overflowing with supplies to the Kaiser Elementary teachers. Our School Supply Drive was tremendously successful as we were able to share our blessings with these dedicated and hardworking teachers and their precious students. Special THANKS to HEB Vintage Park for donating all of the paper and reusable bags! Please see our photo album to get a glimpse of all the smiling faces as the teachers received their supplies.
SPECIAL PROJECTS & EVENTS
In addition to the school supply drive, our ministry has hosted other projects and events to show our support for Kaiser Elementary students and teachers. We provide goodie bags and luncheons for all teachers at Christmas and during National Teacher Appreciation Week. We host an end-of-year ice cream party for all of the Kids Hope students and mentors. We have participated in the St. Ignatius "Service Day" by cleaning up the school's butterfly garden and adding new plants and flowers.For more information on Kaiser Elementary, go to http://kaiser.kleinisd.net
Join Kids Hope
Our ministry is in need of mentors, prayer partners and special events coordinators.- Mentors are carefully matched with an at-risk student in grades K-5 and meet with him/her once a week for 40 minutes, typically during breakfast or lunch. Mentors provide the one-on-one attention and human connection the children so desperately need and deserve. Please keep in mind this is not academic tutoring or evangelization. Mentors are there to form special friendships and provide a listening ear to a child.
- Prayer Partners pray fervently for mentors, students and their families, and teachers during the school year.
- Special Events Coordinators help with a variety of special events and projects that we undertake to express our support for the students, mentors, prayer partners, teachers and staff members.
REQUIREMENTS for MENTORS and PRAYER PARTNERS
1. ONLINE AND ON-SITE TRAINING
New Mentors are required to complete about 50 minutes of online training and 2 hours of on-site training at St. Ignatius. The online training is broken into 9 modules that are about 5 minutes each and can be viewed at your leisure. It prepares you for establishing a friendship with your student by explaining the Kids Hope USA program and offering valuable tips and resources. The onsite training is hosted by the Kids Hope director and Klein ISD staff members. You will receive detailed information about mentoring at Kaiser Elementary and have an opportunity to meet other mentors and ask questions. Once you complete this training you do NOT need to repeat it each year.
NEW Prayer Partners receive approximately 15 minutes of ONLINE training. This is the only requirement for prayer partners and requirements 2-5 below do not appy to you.
2. BACKGROUND CHECK
All mentors must comply with Klein ISD volunteer requirements for a background check. To initiate the mandatory background check, go to:
https://kapo.kleinisd.net/VolunteerBackground/background/welcome.aspx.
3. REGISTER WITH KLEIN ISD
Mentors are also required to register as a Klein ISD volunteer by registering in the school district database at:
http://www.kleinisd.net/default.aspx?name=vol.app
Note: Klein ISD will not begin processing your background check unless you register as a volunteer using the link above.
4. CMG TRAINING
Per Archdioces regulations, all mentors must be Safe Haven (CMG) Certified. This training is very valuable in helping us ensure Kids Hope is creating a safe environment for all the chidlren. If you have taken a Virtus class andis up-to-date (ie, you've updated it within the last five years), you do not need to attend the class again. If your training has expired, please register for training at:
https://galvestonhouston.cmgconnect.org/
Note: If you need help with your password or login or have any Virtus questions, please contact the Kids Hope director at [email protected]
5. INTERVIEW
All new mentors must be interviewed by the Kids Hope director. This is a brief, informal interview at the church office to learn more about your background, interests and desire to serve as a mentor. This information is used when prayerfully matching you with a student.
Again, once you satisfy all of these requirements as a new mentor, you do NOT need to complete them each year, except for the Virtus training which must be updated every five years.
Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but the One who sent me. MK 9:37
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*Last Updated 11/27/19