Erika Guy’s entrée into CISCC came by way of “Challenge Day” held at Chatham Middle School (CMS) in Siler City in October of 2016. The Challenge Day school program provides teens and adults with tools to break down the walls of separation and isolation, replacing them with compassion, acceptance, and respect. Retired after having worked in several states and cities as a professional counselor, advisor, and advocate for school children in grades 7-12, Erika has been involved with and exposed to hundreds of private programs and groups helping children. She says that Challenge Day accomplished more in a six-hour time frame than anything she’s been a part of. After one day, Erika was hooked and wanted to keep up the momentum with the middle-schoolers by helping to harvest the seeds that had just been planted. Since the fall of 2016, Erika has spent her Thursdays at CMS leading three grade-level intervention groups, serving a total of twenty students. She also helped launch the first “Cooking Matters for Teens” program at CMS and is now coordinating the third class. Erika has partnered with CMS counselor Abby Bishop to lead a bullying prevention and self-help hotline workshop to the entire student population and faculty. Recently, Erika facilitated a ‘ Working with Youth and Grief’ seminar for CISCC mentors. Erika can’t imagine a life without kids, and because of that she feels like she’s “never had a job.” Her work as a “kid advocate” and “teacher always” is an extension of who she is. And, she always puts the “relationship before the task,” because in her experience working with children, “until they know how much you care, they couldn’t care less how much you know.”
News Articles
What A Difference One Person Can Make

Mentoring Works!
January is National Mentoring Month, and Communities In Schools of Chatham County (CIS CC) is celebrating the positive impacts of youth mentoring as well as recruiting more caring adults to make a difference in our young people’s lives. Mentoring provides guidance, encouragement, and support to help youth succeed in school, at work, and in life.
CIS CC Mentoring works! Last year, 55 youth were served through the Mentoring Program. 86% of the mentees met or exceeded the average daily school attendance rate. 86% of matched youth met their behavioral and/or academic goals. However, there is still a need for one-on-one mentors in Chatham County. CIS CC currently has 44 mentoring matches and 33 youth on the waiting list. Are you interested in becoming a mentor or do you know someone who might be? The power of mentoring is best illustrated by those who have been impacted first-hand.
Current mentors say that their lives have been impacted positively by their mentees. Elizabeth Fridley shares that she and her mentee “have learned and taught each other so much by sharing our experiences and perspectives. My relationship with Jade has taught me to be present and fully engaged.” Garry Sronce says, “It’s all so rich. Skipping rocks on flat water with a kid who has never done that before is simply a wonderful experience. And we can’t wait to do it again!” CIS CC celebrates our dedicated mentors and knows they will continue to be impacted positively in a variety of expected and unexpected ways.
What is the impact of mentoring with CIS CC according to the parents and family members of the youth served? Savannah and Mason are siblings who both attend 3rd grade at an elementary school in Chatham County. Matched since March 2017, Sue McMaster and Savannah do lots of things together: They read, shop, cook, hike, watch movies and eat popcorn, and Savannah is almost always very well behaved. Jane Gallagher and Mason (also matched since March 2017) spend time together, mostly outside being active. Jane was athletic as a child, and sees her younger self in the boy with boundless energy. Watching Mason run full-speed, barefoot, with not a care in the world—that, according to Jane, is what freedom really is.
Sheila is a non-parent family member living with Savannah and Mason, and she says mentoring has been very positive for both children. Sheila sees how Mason tries to use what Jane has taught him. He is much better at using his words when he is angry. And when he has so much energy he needs to release, he goes outside and runs around the house a couple of times as Jane has suggested. Although it’s a long journey, Sheila has seen a big difference. Both children’s grades have improved; Savannah recently made A/B Honor Roll and Mason missed it by just one point. Sheila has seen improvements in the home too. “It gets wild in here,” she said, “but it’s great that they have someone to spend time with and to take them places. They do all kinds of things.”
Karen is the mother of now 22-year old twin boys, Kenton and Kendrick. Both were mentored from when they were in 3rd grade until they finished high school. Kenton currently is an assistant manager at Food Lion in Siler City. Kendrick is a senior in college at East Carolina University. Both men still keep up with the mentors they grew to love as boys. Karen said that once the relationships were established, “no one wanted to let go.” Karen was diagnosed with MS when her boys were young, and she is especially grateful for the time the mentors spent with her sons. She never had to worry when her sons were with them. She knew they were well taken care of. The twins were and are very different, their mother said, and it was very good they had separate mentors. Each of them felt that they were important and mattered as individuals.
Perhaps the greatest gauge of the program’s impact is from what the mentees say themselves. I had a chance to speak with Savannah and Mason about their experiences with their mentors. Mason said Jane was “nice” and that she “gives you choices.” He said that by having a mentor he gets to “do more things like go hiking in the woods and look for neat stuff.” Savannah could hardly contain her excitement when telling me all the things Sue has taught her and done with her. “She teaches me lots! She taught me how to bake cookies and how to crochet, and she took me to the movies and to the Nutcracker Ballet!” Savannah added that when she does well, Sue rewards her with fun things to do. One of her favorite things about having a mentor is when Sue comes and eats lunch with her. It makes her feel really, really good.
Mentors with CIS CC are trained, screened, and supervised by our experienced Mentoring Program Manager, Shirille Lee. One mentor says, “You don’t really have to know what you’re doing in the beginning—you have so much support from Shirille. If you come to Shirille with a problem or concern, she laughs and lightens things up. It’s like Shirille is mentoring the mentors.” You can make a difference in the life of a child too! For more information, contact Shirille Lee, Program Manager, Mentoring Program, at: (919) 663-0116 x 404; shirille@cischatham.org
https://cischatham.org/programs/community-based-programs/mentoring/
Leading by Example-
Josilyn is a warm, smart, friendly 5thgrader who attends Virginia Cross Elementary School in Siler City. Susan Collins Thompson is a creative, resourceful retired educator. Josilyn and Susan are friends as part of CIS-Chatham County’s (CIS-CC) Mentoring Program. Matched in late February, 2017, the pair meets regularly to have lunch together, work on school work, and attend monthly movies at Wren Memorial Library in Siler City.
The weekly Monday lunches are special, whereby Susan lays out colorful cloth placemats and napkins, setting a positive space and tone for the week. A couple of Josilyn’s classmates always join the pair, and they talk about current successes and challenges. Susan encourages the students to be well-behaved and to make good choices in and out of school.
These mentoring activities happen like clockwork, Susan said, and it’s evident that Josilyn responds well to the consistency. “I know what’s coming up. I know what we’re doing. I can count on Susan. She is super-fun, really nice, and really generous.” Josilyn’s father, a single dad, is thankful for the CIS-CC mentoring program that connects both of his children with positive adults.
Susan also introduces Josilyn to service-learning experiences and has led by example how to become involved in the community. “We go to a lot of places,” Josilyn said. “She helps me get out of the house.” One of these places is a friend’s farm. Visiting the farm was special because Josilyn rode a mule, saw baby chickens, and learned how to tell the difference between fresh eggs and eggs that have been sitting out for a week. Fresh eggs will sink to the bottom of a cup or bowl filled with water.
Another favorite activity was participating in an Earth Day clean-up at the Loves Creek Greenway Trail in Siler City. On April 22, 2017, a team comprised of Josilyn, Susan, Siler City’s Parks and Recreation Director, Joseph Keel, and student from the Beta Club at Chatham Charter in Siler City picked up trash along the trail. Eventually, Susan and Josilyn went through the steps to officially “adopt” the trail, thus giving them civic responsibility to make sure the trail is kept clean. Josilyn is proud of this accomplishment. “When the [adoption] signs were put up, it made me feel special—and that I have a big responsibility in helping keep the community clean and safe.”
Susan delights in how much Josilyn has “bloomed.” Josilyn exhibits a great attitude, acts as a leader, and just made A/B Honor Roll! Others have also noticed the difference. Josilyn was recently honored by her class when she was chosen as September’s “Lion Cub Leader” for being Proactive. When asked about being selected, she said, “It feels good. I’m showing a good example for the school.” Being proactive is “always helping others, and being nice.” Indeed. These are the same qualities Susan shows Josilyn when spending time with her each week.
Susan said the best part about being Josilyn’s mentor is that it’s a “really good match.” When elements like this align, the impact is large and everyone—the child, the mentor, the family, the school, and the entire community—benefits.
You can make a difference in the life of a child too! For more information on community and/or school-based mentoring, contact Shirille Lee, Program Manager, Mentoring Program, at: (919) 663-0116 x 404; shirille@cischatham.org
2017 Newsletter
See and read about what’s been happening and what’s on the horizon for 2018!
https://cischatham.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/CISnews_winter17-med.pdf
Youth Garden
From the time they arrived early Sunday morning until just after lunch time, Chatham Community Church/Chatham SERVE volunteers worked to ready the CIS Youth Garden for winter. New greens were planted, perennials were trimmed and cleaned and blueberry bushes transplanted … and the list goes on! The garden literally glowed with the TLC these hard workers lavished on the garden in downtown Siler City.
Thank you, Chatham Community Church!
Want to find out how you can utilize your green thumbs with us? See our current Volunteer Schedule.