Money Offered For Mentors;
SCLC Director Hopes Cash Helps Motivate
Faith-Based Groups to Advise Area Students
The Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)
By: Lindsay Melvin
First published: July 16, 2008
While houses of worship around Memphis have adopted schools, tutored students and started after-school programs, Rev. Dwight Montgomery says a lot more needs to be done for Memphis City school children.
"I don't feel there has been enough involvement in the faith-based community," said Montgomery, the local director of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
If churches, synagogues and mosques were doing more, he says, the city wouldn't be dealing with the level of crime and violence it currently faces.
Montgomery is hoping $9,000 in cash prizes will help sweeten the pot for local faith groups.
SCLC is sponsoring a recruitment contest for city school volunteers.
Houses of worship that round up the greatest number of helpers for city schools can earn anywhere from $500 to $1,500.
Before a group of 70 pastors on Tuesday, Montgomery unveiled the contest to the Memphis Baptist Ministerial Association during its weekly meeting.
"We have both the moral authority and spiritual power to change this community," he said.
More than half of the ministers stood up in support of the initiative.
Montgomery told the gathering he had discussed the plan with the school district and intends to canvass the city to recruit across denominations.
School officials, however, were unaware of the contest and expressed mixed feelings over the plan to send hundreds of volunteers their way.
"Certainly mentors are needed, there is no question about that," said school board president Tomeka Hart.
Yet she was concerned the district wouldn't be able to handle the volume.
"We have to have an immediate plan for the people who are recruited," she said.
Board member Kenneth Whalum Jr. didn't like the idea at all, especially the cash incentive.
"It should come naturally," he said.
Whalum, pastor of New Olivet Baptist Church, said churches are already doing everything they can for children.
"There is no shortage of people wanting to help," he said.
But Nellie Powell, student program coordinator for CONNECT, the school district's mentoring program, said she will take all the help she can get.
Last year, the school system's volunteer mentoring and tutoring programs had roughly 550 volunteers for 110,000 students.
"It's challenging getting the numbers we need," she said.
If the contest brings in 1,000 volunteers, Powell said, she wouldn't be able to place them all at once, but would use them throughout the school year.
Volunteers must go through a screening process and a training session, she said.
The contest officially kicks off Sunday and will run through Aug. 24.
Houses of worship will compete as small, medium and large congregations.
The ones with the most volunteers in each size category will be rewarded $1,500. Second place will get $1,000, and third place gets $500.
The winners will be announced in November and only those approved by the district will be counted, Montgomery said.
"This plan is not a perfect plan, but it has a perfect purpose," he said.
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