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SALISBURY, MD--They’ve barely teenagers, but the 30 seventh and eight graders from Mace’s Lane Middle School in Dorchester County are thinking about college. Statistically, they may not be the best candidates, but the George B. Todd Fund, ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ and Dorchester County think children are more than numbers.

On Saturday, September 15,  in a program sponsored by the Todd Fund, these youngsters and their families spent the morning on campus with their "special" college friends who have been helping them weekly this past year both improve their classroom performance and "think big" about their own lives.

The work of these college students along with the campus visit and other special program materials is funded by two grants, totaling nearly $50,000 by the Todd Fund. Although such mentoring efforts have earned support from federal and state governments in the past, programs that help the mentors themselves, preparing them to become teachers, are rare. It is also unusual for a small, private foundation or fund to sponsor these activities, said Maureen McNeill, director of corporate and foundation relations for ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½.

After only one semester, however the program is showing results. The Mace’s Lane Middle School students "have met positive people who assure them that they have the ability to handle life after middle school. The fact that these people are ‘cool’ college kids makes them even more influential than many adults that try to pass on the same message," said one Mace’s Lane teacher who is guiding the college students in their work with the children.

The 15 college students involved are all studying to become professional educators. Under the guidance of ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ faculty coordinator Dr. Amy Meekins, and cooperating teachers from the middle school, they are honing their own teaching skills and learning to build relationships with children who are being challenged not only by the traumas of adolescence, but backgrounds where college is rarely part of the landscape. "For many (of these children) college has never been a consideration," said one of their teachers. "The project has given them the achievable dream of going to college someday."

A highlight of the first semester was reading the book, Think Big, by Dr. Ben Carson, the African-American neurosurgeon, who has garnered headlines for his personal philosophy for success. In April the students visited Carson at his office at Johns Hopkins University Hospital.

At this Saturday’s visit, many of these students will visit a college campus for the first time, tour and have lunch in the Commons while their parents are given tips by University officials on how to prepare their children for college. Todd Fund officials will also be greeting the children ands their families.

For more information on the program contact McNeill at 410-548-4759 or visit the ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ Web site at www.salisbury.edu.