Chautauqua Striders Featured At Westfield Rotary Meeting
Guest presenter Michele Starwalt, Director of North County Programs of the Chautauqua Striders, gave an overview of the services and programs provided by the Striders to members of the Rotary Club of Westfield-Mayville at the Jan. 10 meeting of this group. Starwalt, who is also the president of the Rotary Club of Dunkirk, has been with the Striders for 12 years. The mission statement of this organization is “Chautauqua Striders is dedicated to the mentoring and guidance of youth through education, advocacy, and athletics.”
Originally established in 1979 with a track and field competition that was held in Jamestown, the Striders expanded to include tutoring and mentoring components. “Striders is the gold standard in after school education of youth in the north county,” stated Starwalt. “Most of the young people which we encounter come from broken homes, are financially disadvantaged, and have challenging situations. The youth we work with have unlimited potential. All they need is a little support and recognition. Striders inspires!”
Currently Striders is working with almost 2,000 students per year. As the student enrollment in after school programs in the local school districts has increased, Striders has expanded its offerings. Some of the services and programs that Striders offers include tutoring, mentoring, track and field, Regents prep, SAT / ACT prep, private tutoring (fee for service), English language arts and reading fluency, Strides 4 STEAM, life skills education, career mentoring, and sessions with elementary students during their lunch times or activity periods. Some students from the Dunkirk, Fredonia, Silver Creek and Forestville school districts are attending Striders sessions at the Dunkirk Library twice weekly from 5-7 p.m. The north county programs of the Striders are funded by CDBG of Dunkirk, Chautauqua County Youth Bureau, Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation, and the United Way of NCC.
Starwalt said, “At the end of the school day, our students are tapped out. We make our sessions fun. We offer a ton of achievements, “Wall of Fame” recognition, parties, and enrichment and field trip experiences, with topics such as art, organic farming, fishing, and more. Our “Kids on the Move” program had its first ever 5k in northern Chautauqua County.”
“We have seen improvement of the school attendance, grades, social skills and behaviors of students who are enrolled in our STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) program,” she said. “Our newest program has a group of girls in STEAM. We have four to five girls per school who meet one time per month to explore STEAM activities and careers. The cost to the local school districts is zero.”
Starwalt noted that the Striders is involved with the WNY P-Tech STEM College & Career Academy. High school freshman students enroll in the program and continue with it through graduation. They then continue studies and training for an additional two years. Students completing the program earn a NYS Regents Diploma from their home district while they earn an AAS degree in Mechanical Technology or Welding from Jamestown Community College.
“Striders is currently looking for professionals from the manufacturing, business, educational and entrepreneurial careers to lend their expertise and guidance 1 to 2 hours a month to students at the P-Tech Academy,” Starwalt said. Those interested in volunteering and/or to learn more about Chautauqua Striders may contact Starwalt, 363-2203 or michele@chautauqua-striders.org.
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