Friends Program Seeks Financial Support

Author: Bob Wainwright

One of the most popular community service programs in Middlebury College's history, the Community Friends program, is in danger of losing its funding after this year. The program, which began in 1960, has always been funded and run by the Counseling Service of Addison County (CSAC).

In January of last year, however, CSAC's board of governors instituted a new policy, which stated that the organization could no longer run programs that are not self-sustaining. Community Friends fell under that category.

For years now, CSAC has received money from the United Way Foundation, which it has then used to run the Community Friends program. As CSAC's budget from the Vermont state government has been cut in the past year, the Counseling Service has admitted that it will most likely have to use its United Way funds to support its core emergency services. According to Director of Service Learning and Student Employment at Middlebury College Tiffany Sargent, CSAC will not be informed of their final budget cuts from the state until the middle of April.

Since Middlebury College students comprise 98 percent of the volunteers in the Community Friends program, and the College boasts over 2,000 alumni volunteers, Middlebury has a vested interest in helping the program survive. To that effect, President John McCardell asked Sargent earlier this year to head a committee, charged with the task of exploring possibilities that could provide adequate funding for the program beginning next year.

Sargent's committee is comprised of Associate Provost Timothy Spears, College Chaplain Laurie Jordan, Bonnie McCardell, Elizabeth Beetem '02, Marty Wesolowski '03 and Sheryl Huntley, who is in charge of CSAC. Given that the College does not have sufficient funding to take over the Community Friends program completely, the committee has looked to other resources for help.

Sargent explained that the committee's primary concern has been searching for outside grants. One such request was made to the New Jersey-based Turrell Foundation. The committee will hear from the foundation sometime this April. Other possibilities for funding have included the local area schools, a small part of the United Way funds and Middlebury College, itself.

"Hopefully we'll be able to have enough funding to bridge us to next year, but we will not know that for a while," Sargent said.

The College is also considering melding the Community Friends program with Page 1 Literacy, headed by Margaret Sanchez, Sargent continued. Sanchez has already been involved in matching students with community children for this spring.

For many years, the Community Friends program has been the most successful community service program at Middlebury. Traditionally, between 75 and 225 students have volunteered each year. Right now, however, the number is closer to 75.

The children in the program are between the ages of six and 12, and their reasons for participating in the program vary drastically. Most of the referrals for the program come from Mary Hogan Elementary, Bristol Elementary and Beeman Academy, located in New Haven, Vt.

According to Sargent, the fact that so many different types of children are involved in Community Friends is one of its greatest attributes. "One of [the program's] beauties is that there is such a wide range of children involved, there is no stigma attached. What's certain is that it means so much to them that a college student wants to spend a few hours a week with them."

For the Middlebury students who have participated in the program, the rewards are well worth the time. Senior Stella Harman, who has had a community friend for the past three years, stated, "I feel like my community friend has become one of my best friends. I have no doubt that when I leave Middlebury this spring, we will always keep in touch."

Given that the program has made such a difference to so many lives, volunteers and children alike, it would be a shame if a lack of funding were to put an end to it. The battle, however, is not yet lost. "We are keeping our fingers crossed for a miracle," Sargent said.