The United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley is launching its inaugural student mentoring program in Carbon County this fall aimed at making students more successful in the 2020-2021 school year.

The school-based program, called CarbonCorps, hopes to recruit and deploy around 10 mentors in schools throughout the county, according to Gina Nichols, assistant director of rural education at United Way.

The project has been a year in the making.

Mentors will help “close achievement gaps” and “remove barriers of learning” for the students they work with - a work that is especially important given the pandemic, Nichols said. “Now more than ever, it’s important for our community to come together and to support one another,” she said.

“Our model was always rooted in social interaction and connection, and we’re just going to build on that,” Nichols continued. “If schools are closed, and our families aren’t connecting like they used to, we hope that our mentors can increase that connection in the school.”

The only school district officially set to host mentors this fall is Panther Valley, though Nichols said others in the area are interested.

Wherever mentors are placed, Nichols said the benefits of their attendance will be evident in students’ preparedness, performance and behavior.

“Students who are connected to a mentor are more likely to attend school more regularly, to graduate from high school, to have success in college or a career, and then, most importantly, they’re more likely to become mentors themselves and give back,” Nichols said.

“That’s exactly the type of cycle that we hope to bring and sustain here in Carbon County.”

If you’re interested in serving with CarbonCorps, an information session is scheduled for 3 p.m. Aug. 4.

To register, contact Nichols at ginan@unitedwayglv.org.