For the past two and a half years, Kelly Williford and several colleagues at the Gainesville Sales Center of the Florida Coca-Cola Bottling Company have visited Lake Forest Elementary School every Thursday morning to mentor students in Janis Bishop’s third grade classroom.

“They have never missed a session,” said Bishop. “The kids look forward to working with their Thursday mentors--it really means a lot to them.”

“The kids depend on us to be here every week,” said Williford. “I want them to know that we will always be here to support them.”

Williford’s dedication to the children at Lake Forest has now earned her statewide honors and a reception with Governor Jeb Bush and the former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell. She has been named the Corporate Mentor of the Year in the Florida Mentoring Excellence Award program and was recently recognized during a special ceremony at the Governor’s Mansion.

Williford created and continues to coordinate a team of mentors that has grown from three volunteers to thirteen and now serves students at both Lake Forest and Rawlings Elementary School. She and her team provide ongoing support and encouragement to students striving to pass the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT). That can mean anything from reading to the students to quizzing them on multiplication tables. 

The team’s efforts have paid off in a big way. Every child that Williford and her colleagues have mentored in the last two years has passed the FCAT, even those who struggled previously.

“She helps these children feel that they can do it,” said Bishop. “She lets them know that they are intelligent, and that there’s nothing they can’t accomplish.”

“She helps me figure out answers that I don’t know,” said 3^rd-grader Demaryus Reed. “She’ll go over it a couple of times so we know how to do it. She’s a great teacher.”

“She’s nice, she helps everyone,” said fellow student Ne’Teria Barber. “Thursday is a fun day.”

While tutoring is a big part of what Williford and her team do for the kids, it’s not all they do. Each year the mentors and Coca-Cola organize Thanksgiving dinners, FCAT celebrations and other special events in the classroom. They also arrange for Santa Claus to visit the school with a gift for every child.

“It’s such a satisfying and heartwarming feeling when the kids hug you and thank you for the things you’ve done and for making them feel loved,” she said. “Lake Forest has become my family.”

And while her focus is on helping the children today, Williford says she expects the mentors’ efforts will also bring even longer-lasting rewards.

“They’re our future,” she said. “When you give children the love and support they need, you never know who they might help in the future.”

Anyone interested in adopting a school or classroom or mentor students can call the office of the Alachua County Public Schools’ Partners in Education 955-6900.