When Jane retired from teaching in 2012, she looked for a way to continue her passion. "Working with children is an important part of my world so when I retired from teaching, I knew I wanted to continue my connection to children.” With her natural connection to Carver and her husband’s tutoring history, a partnership with Carver and the Goulding’s church, Wesley United Methodist, seemed a natural fit.

Jane approached the church’s pastor, Gene Wisdom, who eagerly invested in the endeavor. "The most important goal is to inspire in students a sense of self-worth and accomplishment through the relationships we build."

With the support of her church, Jane began organizing the initiative. Sign-up sheets were circulated around Sunday school classes, a table was set up in the Narthex advertising the opportunity and Donna Rother, Carver Elementary Principal, was invited to the church to address the congregation.

After months of organization, the Wesley volunteer group is in full swing with over twenty members participating in the program. Each volunteer pledges an hour each week choosing between mentoring individual students and fulfilling administrative needs in the classroom. The group has also provided lunch and other treats for the Carver staff.

Donna Rother, Carver Principal, speaks to the invaluable support of the program, “We feel so fortunate to have the Wesley United Methodist Church volunteers adopt Carver Elementary! It’s like we are surrounded by guardian angels who want to serve our students and our teachers.” 

Donna continued, “These volunteers really care about the kids—you can see it in their time and commitment to push the students to improve their academic performance. They take time to build relationships with our kids and to develop friendships that will be important to the kids for years to come. The volunteers help lighten the teachers’ load so they can capture more time for teaching the kids. The Greenville community is made stronger thanks to the work of the Carver volunteers!”

And the feeling is definitely mutual as Jane describes, “Being a volunteer at Carver gives me many opportunities to support both students and staff.  And in my heart I know that's a good thing."