Mary Olivia Holt is waiting in the carpool line at Wright’s Mill Elementary waiting to pick up Cameron and Cici Gunn.

The two children call her their big sister, yet they are not related.

Holt is their big sister through Project Uplift, a youth mentoring program on Auburn’s campus.

Project Uplift began in 1973 and is a part of the Lee County Youth Development Center. The program began in order to reduce and prevent juvenile delinquency and build self-esteem.

Since the opening, more than 5,500 volunteers and children have participated in the program.

The organization offers volunteer services to Lee County children at no cost to their families.

Only a small percentage of the children have entered the juvenile court system during the time that they are involved with the program.

Children are selected by referrals from schools, various service agencies and family members. The children range from ages 5-12.

Anyone 18 and over who is interested in the program can volunteer.

They are required to attend a training session, which are offered throughout the year. This session prepares volunteers for their experience.

The sessions are four hours and take place in the Haley Center on Auburn’s campus.

The potential volunteer will receive an application at a training session.

They will then interview with Chris Nunn, the Project Uplift coordinator, to see if they can meet all of the necessary obligations of a volunteer.

These obligations include visiting their assigned child three to four hours per week, excluding quarter breaks and summer vacations. Volunteers are expected to continue the relationship with their child for at least one year.

They also must complete and return monthly reports as well as keep personal auto insurance active.Holt says that the obligations are easy to follow and really should not be considered obligations. She looks forward to seeing Cameron and Cici each week because it gives her a break from the hectic college life.

Project Uplift is always looking for new volunteers. There is a long waiting list of children that want to be in the program.
There are roughly 200 children on the current waiting list.

Besides these reasons, the simple enjoyment of watching a child grow and being a positive role model is enough for some.

There are many fun things volunteers do with their children. Bowling, swimming, going to the movies or a park or hang out at your house are just a few.

Project Uplift encourages volunteers to be creative, according to the website.

Many local places and restaurants offer free and discounted activities to Project Uplift.

Cameron and Cici’s favorite memory is when their big sisters took them bowling and had a slip-n-slide at their house.

“I like hanging out with my big sisters,” Cameron says. “They are a lot of fun and we get to do cool things.”

“Their reading is better, they are more respectful of others, even little things like their manners have improved”, says Holt. “It has been very rewarding to know I am making an impact on them.”