For the second year in a row, Westwood College - South Bay Campus participated in Children Uniting Nations Day of the Child, currently the biggest mentoring event in the country. The annual one-day program provides high-risk foster youth with caring mentor volunteers, rides, games and live entertainment by chart-topping music groups at the Santa Monica Airport Barker Hangar. This year, the event successfully created wonderful memories for more than 1,000 foster children.
Jenna Fuentes, Career Services general employment advisor, recruited 50 criminal justice student mentors to volunteer eight hours for the Sunday event. Faculty members Rock Pattullo, Jocelyn Shaw, Merle Teater and Coriandre Crane also volunteered to give back to the community and support our students’ efforts as well.
After being trained on how to properly interact and mentor a foster child, student mentors accompanied the kids as they received free clothes, toys and books from various nonprofit organizations. The fun-filled day, complete with carnival games, food, music and rides, generously provided free of charge, allowed the children to be carefree kids for a day.
For Westwood students, the event was an opportunity to brighten a child’s day and gain valuable experience working with at-risk youth.