A St. Louis Mentoring Program on the National Stage

It’s incredible how the dream of one woman can make dreams come true for hundreds of St. Louis kids.

For 15 years, Christine Reams, the force behind the Lutheran Family and Children’s Services of Missouri (LFCS) Children’s Alive Learning Leadership (CALL) program, has made an impact on the futures of area children. An impact so strong that it earned her national recognition as an Encore Careers Purpose Prize Fellow for 2010, an award that honors those who make a difference in their communities in their second half of life.

CALL has been a labor of love for Reams. As a social worker with LFCS, Reams spent much of her time providing families in need with one-time financial assistance. However, it was the children of these families she felt lacked a solid foundation — both from an educational and a social aspect — to build the diverse skills needed to be competitive in today’s global economy. Reams believed a mentoring program could be the solution these children needed.

While continuing to work at her current job, Reams began building a curriculum and support for a new program through LFCS. CALL would be unique in the mentoring world — a staff-driven program that provided consistency and continuity in the lives of children and offered group sessions to allow kids to learn from one another. In addition, CALL would be neighborhood-based, with sessions at schools and apartment complexes in order to reach those children most at risk.

Since its launch in 1995, CALL mentors have helped guide children ages 6 to 17 through a variety of subjects including conflict resolution, tolerance, career development, job readiness, financial education and substance abuse prevention. But most important, according to Reams, is how CALL teaches children how to respect each other’s differences.

“CALL provides a social connection for children. They learn how to work in groups and interact with each other. They learn how to get along with their teachers and build positive relationships with their parents. Because we have such a low turnover in staff, the kids really build a rapport with their mentors and know someone truly cares for them in addition to their parents.”

Supporting both kids and parents

Parenting kids can be tricky at best, especially during the dreaded tween and teen years. However, CALL mentors work hand-in-hand with moms and dads, building a true partnership to help children through the most difficult parts of growing up . It isn’t unusual to see a CALL mentor at his or her student’s basketball game, or a parent volunteering during a group session.

For a mother of three whose boys grew up in the program, CALL staff provided solutions when her children struggled in school. Said Reams, “The mother wanted to take her kids out of sports because they were doing poorly in school. Our staff encouraged her to let them remain in sports and provided tutoring to help their grades improve. We feel sports are a great alternative for kids — if they’re not in sports, they may end up getting into trouble.” The plan worked, and all three boys graduated high school — with Reams cheering from the stands.

Today, at 72 years old, an age at which her peers are retiring left and right, Reams continues guiding children toward their full potential — a position she’s in no rush to give up.

“I really enjoy what I do. I enjoy seeing these kids and the changes in their lives. In my position, I don’t work directly with the children, but I visit the sites and get to know them. I feel there’s still a lot I need to do and want to do. We have a great program and I’d like to help move it to another level before I pass it on to other hands.”

A statement to which hundreds of children and parents breathe a sigh of relief, knowing this incredible force in their lives is sticking around for a while.

By Nicole Plegge, Lifestyle Writer for SmartParenting