Rock Island High School football players are starting a mentorship with RIMSD elementary students.

Football Coach Ben Hammer presented the opportunity to the elementary schools and has had an overwhelming response. The hope is to have the players be able to mentor students at all elementary schools in the RIMSD.

Right now, a group of football players goes to Ridgewood Elementary School every Thursday morning.

The players spend their time talking, playing games, and other activities with the students. The group of elementary students consists of first through sixth graders.

Jamie Miners a counselor at Ridgewood says she thought it would be a great opportunity for Ridgewood students.

“Having a close caring relationship with another person can help build resilience in students and resiliency can help students overcome challenges and impact their overall development,” said Miners.

The Ridgewood students look forward to hanging out with the high school students every week. Miners says a lot of them want to play sports when they get older, so the players talk to the students about the importance of having good grades and keeping out of trouble.

Miners says it good for the students to have another positive role model in their lives and she’s looking forward to seeing the relationships between the elementary students and the high school students continue to grow.