| A Brief History of K-grams |
Through his work with elementary kids in the Southeast
Michigan area, Rishi Moudgil, a sophomore majoring in business
at the University of Michigan, recognized a need for sustained
involvement in the schools. He also sought a way to provide college
students with a simple way to get involved in service.
Thus began "K-grams" (Kids Programs), a nationwide
non-profit organization which pairs college students with local
elementary students as pen pals and mentors through a suite of
programs. Rishi recruited friends and colleagues and officially founded the organization during the
summer of 1998 in Ann Arbor, MI, targeting U- M as
a pilot location.
First Letter Exchange
Six Ann Arbor elementary
schools and over 750 college students were recruited in less than
two weeks. Program guidelines, an internal structure, and a solid
foundation were developed early on, helping communication run
smoothly. The first pen pal letter exchange was successful, led
by the coordination of a handful of incredibly committed student
directors and dozens of "Swing Kids" and other volunteers.
Growth and Expansion
Local interest was growing in this new-found program, so the Michigan
chapter of K-grams expanded to include one new residence hall
and a new school from the Willow Run School district in Ypsilanti,
Michigan. Resources, time and energy went into organizing the
K-grams Kids-Fair, a culminating, year-end event bringing kids
to campus to meet college students while exposing them to a variety
of learning activites. This widely successful event concluded
a successful first year for K-grams pen pals, teachers, parents,
and student volunteers!
Added Programs
After developing a key partnership with the Department of University
Housing, the Michigan chapter of K-grams fostered further growth
by adding more pen pal classrooms, expanding into Detroit Public
Schools, streamlining the letter-writing process, and organizing
a training & leadership retreat for the Board. K-grams also
developed further opportunities for the pen pals through a plethora
of programs including:
- BookMARK - Mentoring
And Reading with Kids - a mentoring and
reading program that brings college students into the kids'
classrooms
- Kids-Day - invites kids
to campus to experience various aspects of college life
- Classroom projects - college
volunteers design and facilitate educational, interactive projects
with the kids in the classrooms
- Service-Learning course
- a partnership with an on-campus living/learning unit to produce
a student course to analyze civic involvement through the lens
of K-grams
With a working model and the knowledge of how to create a successful
mentoring program through uniting college and elementary communities,
the young team pushed forward the plan to develop K-grams in other
locations. Thus, K-grams, Inc. was established to develop chapters
in other communities throughout the country... and beyond! :)
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