At the Heart of SAVE
Our volunteer mentors are the heart of SAVE. This year, we have had 100 amazing volunteers act as mentors to our students. Most volunteers are college students who share the experience of college, but some are university faculty and staff who share the experience of working in higher education, and some are even high school students who are interested in giving back! At any given session, we have volunteers from all different backgrounds ready to act as inspiration for our kids. Most of these volunteers show up to all twelve sessions eager to welcome the kids, help with activities, and most of all, provide a positive role model for our kids to be inspired by. All of our activities and programming are carefully designed to nurture this mentorship, and many of our kids develop deep and trusting bonds with their volunteers.
Here’s what some of our volunteers had to say about their time with SAVE:
“The SAVE program has impacted my life in a greatly positive way. When I show up to SAVE and I can tell that the kids have been waiting to be back at the program to see the volunteers and enjoy the activities it makes me feel happy to know that I can make a positive impact on their life.” -Zaki A
“SAVE has been such a fun and rewarding experience! I have been able to learn about the next generation’s lives and bond with them. I love hearing what they have to say, and knowing that they trust me enough to be able to share it. As a mentor, I am someone they can look up to and come to for advice. This mentor/mentee relationship shows these kids that as long as you have perseverance and faith in yourself, you can go anywhere you want in life.” Emma K
“I volunteer for the SAVE program because I enjoy hanging out with the children. It is a very rewarding experience seeing all of the smiles on their faces! I enjoy getting to know the students and learning about them. I had a little girl tell me that when she is older that she is going to come to Creighton and become a lawyer. I thought it was so inspiring to hear this 9 year old tell us such a big goal she has in life and to be able to be a start to her journey is super cool and rewarding.” – Marissa H
“SAVE has been a great way for me to start making an impact on the Omaha community as a freshman.” -Sophia H
