A new program is putting a focus on positive male role models for young students in Greene County.

The Watch D.O.G.S. (Dads Of Great Students) takes adult male volunteers and puts them into Greene County Elementary School for a day as a way to provide positive encouragement for students, as well as helping teachers with tasks and monitoring the hallways throughout the school day. Top Dog and Organizer Reverend Devin Wolters says the program started last month and it’s a way for adult males to reach kids that need positive encouragement.

“We all don’t have father figures in our lives, but as a community, we can step into the school system and we can give that support to those kids that need it. We can be that smiling face, we can say, ‘You are worth our time to come in here and to share this day with you.’ And it’s had a huge impact already I think.”

Wolters’ biggest push is to have more volunteers join the program. He notes that any adult male who wants to get involved must pass a background check, along with paying for a uniform, which costs about $24 total. All volunteers are required to cover at least one school day, but can do more. He talks about one interaction he had with a recent volunteer’s experience.

“He said, ‘Wow, I wasn’t expecting to be that busy.’ I said, ‘Oh no, was everything okay?’ And immediately he got a huge smile and he said, ‘No, it was all good. I loved it and I can’t wait to come back!’ He was talking about how he was in his kids’ classroom, he was interacting with other children and he just had a huge smile on his face and how great it was to be in there.”

To hear more from Wolters, listen to today’s Community State Bank in Paton Let’s Talk Greene County program.

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