U-CARC Partners with Foster Care on New Mentoring Program
U-CARC members (l to r): Ryan Erickson, Heewon Suh, Tirsit Berhanu, and Peter Moffit
In 2005, students from the University of Chicago approached CARC about forming a recognized student organization to support persons with developmental disabilities. One year later, the University of Chicago’s Chapter of CARC—or “U-CARC” was created. Over the past four years, over a dozen students have loyally supported of CARC programs and events: volunteering at our Seniors’ Center, applying fresh coats of paints in several of our day programs, and helping to set up Gumption Gifts for the holidays.
This year, Ryan Erickson—a senior who has been with U-CARC since its inception, had a vision to create a mentoring/tutoring program for the children in our foster care program. This was no easy task because all of the original and former U-CARC members had graduated. Without Ryan’s tenacity and determination, the University of Chicago’s Chapter of CARC may have ceased to be. However, Ryan was not deterred and the opposite action occurred. He recruited six new members and U-CARC became an even stronger resource.
As for Ryan’s vision to create a mentoring program…the results have been remarkable. CARC’s Foster Care Program supports boys and girls with special needs. These children have faced considerable challenges in their young lives. Now, U-CARC members--students from one of the finest universities in the country, work with the children in our foster care every week to receive scholastic assistance on a wide variety of topics…as well as affirmation and personal encouragement. Friendships have blossomed quickly and U-CARC members have added a splendid stratum of support to the existent high-quality services that CARC’s Foster Care employees provide on a daily basis.
CARC commends the University of Chicago’s Chapter of CARC and the talented college students who compose it. Despite demanding educational schedules of their own, these extraordinary young men and women make time to assist the extraordinary children in our foster care program in completing their homework assignments, understanding new concepts, and quite possibly to discover the scholars within themselves.
For more information on the University of Chicago’s Chapter of CARC, please call CARC’s Director of Business Development and U-CARC liaison, Ian MacNeil at 312.346.6230.