NW, South students mentor area teens through Optimists
by Terra Smith, Reporter

    Laura Trimble, a sociology student on South Campus, enjoys meeting Cindy every Thursday.
    Unlike her other friends, though, Cindy is a seventh grader at the Rosemont Middle School, Trimble said, but she has carried out a rewarding relationship with Cindy through mentoring for the Optimist Club on South Campus.
   "I look forward to every Thursday just going to see her and helping her," she said.
   Volunteering as a mentor for the first year, Trimble said she is proud to see her mentee improving on her math grades, as well as having somebody to talk to.
    "Kids are my heart," she said. "If there's anything I can do to make it better for them, then I am all for it."
    South and NW campuses provide TCC students with opportunities to become mentors to children of all ages through a student chapter of the Optimist Club.
    Dr. T. G. Thomas, South Campus club adviser, said the clubs plan to take the program to the NE and SE campuses this semester. If the other two campuses do not receive the program, students from other campuses can join the Optimist chapters on South and NW.
    "The overall purpose of the Optimist club is to be friends of the youth," Thomas said.
    The club members mentor children of all ages, but the primary focus of TCC students is mentoring middle school students, Thomas said.
    "The mentors are to provide whatever the children need: tutorial, a friendly ear, friendship, anything they need," he said.
    South Campus adopted Rosemont Middle School during the spring semester. The chapter had 10 mentors, and each mentor was assigned one child.
    Not wanting to wait until fall to continue their work with the Rosemont students, Thomas and the South Campus mentors planned summer activities for the children.
    The club has joined with TEAM Fort Worth, a mentoring program funded by the Department of Education to help more students from 14 targeted schools in the Fort Worth Independent School District graduating from high schools.
    TEAM Fort Worth treated about 50 kids from various elementary and middle schools to a Ranger's game in June and the American Airlines Museum in July. About 10 TCC students from the Optimist Club participated in the event.
    Like other clubs, chapter members also participate in activities to raise money for the club. For example, they sponsored a golf tournament in May to raise money for the organization's mentoring program.
    The club requires a background check, a $30 annual fee and an interest in helping children.
    "In this club, you really have to be dedicated," Trimble said, "because when you go out, you are not just representing yourself. You are representing the club and its purpose."
    For more information or to join, contact Thomas at 817-515-4755 or at TG.Thomas@tccd.edu.