Community Friends is a one on one mentoring program between Middlebury College students and children in Addison County ages 5-12. Matches meet for two hours each week, and by providing this mentoring opportunity, the group hopes to foster relationships between the college and the local community. 

This is my fourth year meeting with my mentee, and over the past few years we have explored Middlebury, read My Fathers Dragon and Warriors, raced fiercely in the natatorium and on the fields around campus, created half-edible Proctor creations, and spent hours drawing and painting in the various craft spaces. I have watched her grow (now taller than me) and develop into a thriving middle school student, and she has provided me with an escape from stressful schoolwork and a reminder of childhood relaxation.  I love seeing other matches around campus. Mentees provoke Middlebury students to break from their college bubble, and Middlebury students serve as additional adult role models for children outside of just their parents and teachers. Community Friends provides a space for these special interactions, and has had a truly amazing impact on my own experience at Middlebury.

-Greer Howard ’16