Some Ball State football players are going back to school - elementary school that is. And they're doing it for a good cause.
Since October 24, 2011, 10 football players have gone to South View Elementary School at 11:30 a.m. every Monday to have lunch with their adopted "little brothers." They are the first volunteers in the new Lunch Buddies program at Muncie's chapter of Big Brother Big Sister.
The program matches kids from South View Elementary School with volunteers from the football team for one-to-one mentoring. Every week, the players spend 30 minutes hanging out with their little brother, talking and playing games. It gives the kids a positive role model and the athletes a chance to give back to the community.
Megann Parkison, match support at Big Brother Big Sister, said the football coaches approached the organization about how their players could get involved.
"They wanted the guys to work in the community and referred some of the players that would do very well," Parkison said.
Andre Dawson, senior accounting major and cornerback, said about 30 players interviewed to be mentors. Based on their interviews and availability, 10 were selected to participate. He said he is lucky to have been picked, although at first he was little apprehensive about what kind of impact he would make.
"I didn't really know what to expect. I wasn't sure what we could do with 30 minutes," Dawson said.
Teachers recommended students they thought would benefit from positive male role models to be little brothers. Dawson was matched with a 10-year-old fourth grader named Jake. Cam Lowry, a senior biochemistry major and offensive tackle, was matched with Elijah, another fourth grader.
For the first meeting, Dawson, Lowry and the other players were provided with questions to help break the ice such as "What's your favorite food?" and "If you could have a superpower, what would it be?"
They spend their lunches encouraging the kids to stay focused in school while playing games like Uno, Sorry, Trouble and checkers. Lowry said Connect Four and Jenga are favorites with the kids, who get a kick out of beating their bigs at the board games.
If Dawson doubted whether 30 minutes a week would make a difference, he doesn't anymore. Since starting the program four months ago, Jake is already less shy and more confident.
"We've seen him grow into a much better person. He's more calm around people now," Dawson said.
Lowry's experience has been a little more intense, though no less rewarding. A month into the program, his little, Elijah, suffered the passing of his younger brother. It was humbling for Lowry to see firsthand how little kids have to deal with such big experiences. He didn't know what to do for Elijah other than say how sorry he was for his loss.
Elijah moved three weeks ago. Lowry was matched with another kid and is beginning to get know him.
Being present during life-altering experiences and building a relationship with someone makes this a more intimate kind of community service, Lowry said. It's affected him just as much as the kids. Lunch Buddies has shown him people from all walks of life and given him a different than average college experience.
"It made me grateful for the kind of childhood I grew up with, caring parents and siblings," Lowry said. "I grew in appreciation for it. It's a humbling experience."
For their part, the kids love the football players. Parkinson said their faces light up when the players come to visit because they know that is their time to feel special and to talk about whatever they want.
Lunch Buddies has been so positive for everyone involved that it is expanding to include girls. Parkison said five members of the Ball State women's volleyball team will begin meeting with their little sisters next week. A recent Ball State graduate herself, Parkison said she is especially excited that the program lets busy college students get involved. People think it's a big time commitment, but that's not necessarily the case, Parkison said.
"It doesn't take much to mentor a child," she said. "It takes four hours a month to make a difference in a child's life."
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