While only a few weeks old, a new community initiative to improve the academics of Dowagiac students is already making a splash.

A Dowagiac nonprofit outreach group, The Stepping Stone, launched a free afterschool-tutoring program — aimed at kindergarten through 12th grade students attending Dowagiac Union Schools — in late September.

The “pebbles” group meets from 4 to 6:45 p.m. Monday through Thursday at the Stepping Stone Center on Miller Street, where a group of volunteers help local students with homework assignments as well as provide mentoring to help children in areas where they struggle academically, said Stepping Stone President Tyree Blackamore.

Beginning with a group of 11 participants, more than 30 students now regularly show after school.

“We knew we were going to make a difference,” Blackamore said. “We did not have a clue it would happen so quickly.”

The tutoring program has been something members of The Stepping Stone — a group dedicated to improving the community — have long sought to bring to fruition, Blackamore said.

“One of our missions is to promote educational advancement through tutoring and mentoring,” Blackamore said. “I come from a family of teachers, and our founder [Ester Stanley] is a retired teacher, so it was natural move for us to make.”

With the purchase of their new facility in June, they finally had a venue to make their vision of enhancing the education of local children a reality, he said.

On top of helping children with classwork, tutors have been giving the children Spanish lessons. A few volunteers also prepare meals for the students, for them to eat before heading home.

Around 22 people are pitching in with the program, including several retired school teachers, a handful of college students and an eighth-grader who likes working with younger children, Blackamore said.

“I love kids, so when I get a chance to break away from the office and work directly with the children, it gives me a special feeling,” Blackamore said. “I like what I do anyway, but when I get to personally see the impact we are having, I feel great.”

With the wind at their backs, organizers with the tutor program are hoping to secure additional funding and donations to further enhance the services they provide students, including trips to area universities, Blackamore said.

“I am excited about the direction the program is heading as well as where we can go with it,” he said. “The sky is the limit.”

Parents interested in enrolling their children in the program can pick up an application at The Stepping Stone Center, located at 214 Miller St., Dowagiac.