Communities In Schools of Federal Way Celebrates the Accomplishments of Mentors!
Communities In Schools (CIS) of Federal Way threw a party on Wednesday, June 3rd to celebrate the 60 volunteers who are part of the PASS Mentoring Program.
FWPS Superintendant, Tom Murphy, was on hand to express his gratitude to the mentors who give one hour per week to meet with a student at school. “You give these kids a relationship that they might otherwise not have,” Murphy told them. “You give them your undivided attention and your time, and that will make a big difference in the lives of these students. I thank you.”
The PASS Mentoring program is just finishing its’ third year and has grown from the ten initial mentors to 60! The program serves 62 students by providing a caring adult who meets with them at their school for one hour per week. The benefits of mentoring include better attendance, better grades, more likely to graduate and less likely to engage in risky behaviors such as drugs and alcohol – to name just a few.
But the benefits aren’t just for students. Mentors shared many stories about how spending time with their students touched their lives as well. “It can be tough sometimes,” commented volunteer Pete Gonzales, who mentors two students. “But when you have a break-through; when you know you’ve said or done something that makes this kid re-think about what they are doing and make a more positive decision – it’s an amazing experience!”
The PASS Mentoring Program logged nearly 1,000 hours in volunteer time in Federal Way Schools this past school year. For the upcoming school year we are looking to nearly double that number! The goal is to recruit 50 new mentors and expand to four more schools.
Thanks to all the mentors who have helped make this program a success and made a difference in the life of a child in Federal Way!
We are currently recruiting mentors to begin in the fall. If you are interested in being a mentor, one hour, one day per week at a Federal Way school – contact PASS Program Coordinator Amy Crowley at amyc@federalwaychamber.com
You CAN make a difference!



