Carrie Marsh is a mentor in the Reach and Rise Mentoring Program at the Y of Central Maryland. This year, Carrie and her team have done a great job implementing the program, especially for their first time with Badges for Baseball. Learn more about Carrie and their program below:
Carrie, please tell us a little about yourself and why you decided to become a mentor.
“As I purse my master's degree in Social Work, I am continually drawn to working with at-risk children and their families. The more I've been able to work with this population, the more I realize how much we have in common and how much I enjoy working with them. A lot of times, just offering these kids structure and a safe place makes a world of difference and allows them to thrive. Although there are many challenges and barriers to break through, working in youth development is appealing to me, if only for the chance to make a difference in just one child's life.”
Can you tell us a little about the program?
“The past few months, the Y's Reach and Rise Mentoring Program has had the privilege to partner with the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation, Baltimore City Schools and the National Guard to run our Badges for Baseball Program. Each week, students from three different schools come to the Y and learn a character building lesson from the Healthy Choices, Healthy Children curriculum, as well as sports skills and games. Lessons have included leadership, sportsmanship and making healthy choices. Students have the chance to discuss with each other the implications of these lessons in their own lives. Students have also had the opportunity to improve their skills in various sports such as baseball, soccer, and floor hockey.”
What’s the most rewarding part of running Badges for Baseball?
“Although the gym can be quite chaotic during the program, it has been rewarding to see the kids practice sportsmanship and leadership during games. I've had multiple students ask me, ‘Can we come back every day?’ It's questions like those that make all the chaos worthwhile.”