People say that God works in mysterious ways, and when one considers how three separate groups ended up coming together to help improve the lives of children in the East Cooper area, one really has to wonder.

One group had a need, one group wanted to educate the community about the needs of the East Cooper area, while a third group was working to define a need its members could help to alleviate.

In the fall of 2010, members of Mount Pleasant Presbyterian Church (MPPC) began going through a process of redefining the church's mission and were looking for a way to get congregants involved in efforts to help improve the community. At the same time, East Cooper Community Outreach (ECCO) was working with the settlement communities to help them reach their goals. Coincidentally, Karen Felder, principal of Jennie Moore Elementary School, had been trying for quite some time to get a mentoring program going at the school.

Members of MPPC reached out to ECCO who led them to Jennie Moore Elementary School and the settlement communities where residents wanted help with improving the lives and futures of their children. These talks led to the formation of I-Beam, a mentoring program aimed at building the literacy, self-esteem and social skills of Mount Pleasant's children. Educators explained to the church group that in second grade, children learn to read, and in third grade, they are expected to read to learn. "We started with second grade," said Karen Felder of Jennie Moore Elementary School. "It's a great time to catch them as their strengths and weaknesses are more apparent.

"We looked at MAP (Measure of Academic Progress) scores and started with kids reading below level. The goal is for an adult to share the love of reading with a child."

Each week volunteer adult mentors from MPPC and Greater Goodwill AME Church come in and spend about an hour with a child, reading and sharing stories over lunch.

"I was hoping the adults would follow their student throughout his or her elementary school career so it would be a continuous flow of support with someone they'd really get to know," added Felder. The program began in January of 2011, and most of the volunteers have returned for a second year, working with the same child.

"MPPC had so many volunteers that last year we were able to add third grade as well as second grade. Now we have mentors in second, third and fourth grades. They read with their students for 30 minutes and then go get lunch with them. It allows for great social skills and great conversations."

Teachers fill a folder for each child with reading material. It is usually something the child can read to the mentor, something they can read together and something the mentor can read to the child. They occasionally assist the child in taking an Accelerated Reader test on a book the child has finished, and sometimes a writing assignment is included in the folder. "It's about the enjoyment of reading," added Felder.

This is MPPC congregant Ann McGill's first year volunteering with I-Beam. She mentors second grader Nina Gambino. McGill, a retired kindergarten teacher, thinks the program is great. "I try to help with her reading comprehension. We talk a lot. She tells me about what she does in the afternoons with her friends and she draws me pictures. We have a good time together."

McGill volunteers with her husband who mentors a second grade boy. "We saw some other people who were involved with I-Beam and saw how much it meant to them, so we wanted to get involved and be another adult friend for a child," McGill added.

"As Nina's gotten used to me, she talks more. I encourage her to write stories."

"As I see that relationship developing, it's very rewarding," added Julian McGill. "You really feel like you're making a difference."

Barbara German of Greater Goodwill AME Church has been the mentor for third grader D'nya Porter for two years. She said she learned about the program through her Sunday school, and since she had worked with children throughout her whole career, she jumped at the chance to sign on. She's seen improvement in D'nya's reading skills since she started mentoring her last January. "I have grandchildren the same age as D'nya and we had the pleasure of spending time with D'nya and her sister over the summer. I think it is very important for children to have other adults who care for them, and sometimes it's easier to work with someone outside of your own family," said German, who also has a granddaughter in fourth grade at Jennie Moore.

"I really enjoy working with children, and I think it's important for those of us who have learned so much over the years to help the younger ones reach their goals. It's so important. I hope to keep working with D'nya until she graduates."

Felder says that the students involved in I-Beam have shown a general average increase on their MAP scores.

When MPPC scheduled its informational meeting to get I-Beam started, organizers expected about 40 or 50 people to show up. More than 100 attended, and 84 signed up as mentors. Word of the success of the pilot program spread, and now I-Beam has expanded to additional churches and schools through the East Cooper Ecumenical Network. St. Paul's Lutheran Church and Hibben United Methodist Church have teamed up with Whitesides Elementary School, while Christ Our King has partnered with James B. Edwards.

David McNair, who was part of the initial group at MPPC who got the ball rolling with I-Beam, said that it's been exciting to watch it grow and expand. He sees the project as a strong support for children, just like an I-beam in construction. "It's an active, fun, meaningful way to volunteer in the community."

He explained how the name came about. The name I-Beam has several levels of meaning. First, in construction, the I-beam is a source of strength that carries significant weight and prevents buckling. It is positioned at critical points and is often a key "connector" between other foundations. Also, the name focuses on the "I" which represents the child who will always be the at center of what we do. And lastly, the beam is the beacon of light that shines through our mentors.

Added Jenkins of thecumenical network "If you make sure a child can read at grade level by the end of second grade, you give him all the tools they need for success."