Liz Lyons, of Niles, is an attorney and a frequent volunteer at Kincheloe Elementary School in Dowagiac, where her son Lucas attends the fourth grade. Lyons helps out several times a month with Melissa McDonald’s kindergarten classroom.

 

When did you start volunteering at Kincheloe?

I started when he [her son, Lucas] was in kindergarten, with Melissa McDonald, and I wouldn’t go away. I stayed in kindergarten after that — all the kids got out of kindergarten, but I stayed back with my “peers.”

 

What you made you volunteer at the school?

I love kids. I’m an attorney, and my work focus is on working with kids. I wanted to do something to help out, and I really like Melissa McDonald. So I asked her if she needed a volunteer, and she yes.

 

What do you do with children?

I come in on “Fun Fridays,” on Friday morning. On Fun Friday they do a craft, which teaches them about different animals, and how to cut and paste…it’s a fun day for them.

 

What kinds of things do the students learn about?

What Melissa does is she connects a letter with an animal. When she thought them about the letter “F,” the animal was a fox, and we made foxes, which meant tracing and cutting them out and gluing them together.

 

What’s been the most rewarding experience you’ve gotten out volunteering for so long?

I love knowing the kids, and seeing them smile when they see me and give me a hug. I like being another positive adult in their life. It’s nice to see them as they get older, to know how they started. We have that connection.

It’s so nice to be able to get to know all these different kids, and be a little tiny part of their lives.

 

Is there anything you would want to say to encourage others to volunteer with their children’s school?

It means more to me than it means to the kids. It’s just very rewarding. There’s nothing like being around these kids…I think we have a great school system, and I think they appreciate any adults that want to help out and positively influence kids.

 

Do you know a volunteer worthy of recognition? Nominate him or her by calling Craig Haupert, community editor, at (269) 687-7720, or by email at craig.haupert@leaderpub.com.