Become a Friend
One hour a week. One child. A real difference.
Since 1999, Friends of Children of Walla Walla has paired caring adults with elementary students for one-to-one mentoring during the school day. You don’t need special training or a background in education. You just need to show up for one kid, consistently.
What you’re signing up for
Once a week, at school. You’ll meet your Friend at a Walla Walla or College Place elementary school during lunch and recess, usually less than an hour.
Same kid, same time. You’re matched with one student, and you visit on the day and time you choose. That consistency is the heart of the program.
Fits around a workday. Visits happen during school hours, so many mentors come on a lunch break.
Flexibility built in. Travel and busy weeks happen. Missing an occasional visit is fine as long as you let us know ahead of time.
What a visit looks like
It’s simpler than most people expect. You’ll eat lunch with your Friend and then head out to recess, where you might play a game or just chat. There’s no curriculum and nothing to fix. Friendship comes first, and the mentoring happens naturally from there.
For many students, their mentor is the one adult who shows up at the same time every week, no matter what. And most mentors tell us it ends up being one of the best hours of their week, too.
Clear boundaries that keep everyone safe
All visits take place on school grounds, during the school day.
There’s no contact outside of school, so this isn’t a relationship that follows you home or fills your weekend.
We ask mentors not to share personal contact information with their Friend.
How to get started
To protect the safety of every child, each mentor completes a screening and training process before being matched.
Apply. Fill out the online volunteer application. Apply now →
Screening. We complete a national criminal background check and two personal reference checks.
Training. Complete a short online training that should take about 30 minutes.
Get matched. Pick a day and time that works for you, and we’ll pair you with a student.
Meet your Friend. Set your start date, and our staff will help you get started.
Not ready to mentor? Other ways to help
Attend one of our events. You can find all of our upcoming events here.
Office support. Help with behind-the-scenes projects weekly or as needed.
Give or refer. Become a monthly donor, or send a great potential mentor our way.
Questions? Email us at info@wallawallafriends.org. We’d love to hear from you.