“Goal Buddy Jeff is nice and very funny,” says one Miller Park third-grader about her experience with Lozier employee and Partnership 4 Kids Goal Buddy, Jeff McEldery. “He says fourth quarter goals are like running a race around a track. We are going to finish strong!”
McEldery has been volunteering as a Miller Park Elementary goal buddy for six years. He continues to do it because he loves knowing he can positively impact students at such a young age.
His favorite part of volunteering as a goal buddy are all the smiles that light up a classroom of faces when his students see him walk in the door. “I think at first, you may not think you will really be able to build a bond with the students or relate to one another,” says McEldery. “But after a short time, the students really start opening up and in no time at all, they are sharing their ideas and dreams and talking your leg off.”
In addition to the welcome of happy faces and high fives, McEldery also enjoys the teaching moments in which he tries to instill confidence in each of the students he works with. “I tell them that they can do whatever they commit to in the classroom and in life,” he says. “The sky is the limit, so why not reach for the stars!?”
To learn more about volunteering with Partnership 4 Kids, visit: https://p4k.org/give/volunteer/
