Be a Friend. Be a Hero.
Beacon Community Impact, the community outreach arm of Beacon Health System, has partnered with Kohl’s Cares to create Be a Friend. Be a Hero. This program for fifth grade students in St. Joseph County and sixth grade students in Elkhart County is designed to help in the transition from elementary school to middle school. In an effort to ease stress or anxiety students may have, our trained educators share advice from current middle school students. Choosing good friends is the number one tip from middle school students to elementary students. Because of the importance of choosing good friends, the program centers around five qualities the middle school students said were the most important to look for in a friend. Then, our educators discuss the importance of not only surrounding yourself with people who are caring, honest, respectful, loyal, and trustworthy, but demonstrating these friend qualities themselves. The students finish the program knowing these qualities can make a difference not only in middle school, but in life.
Our Impact So Far
The COVID-19 pandemic impacted our educators’ ability to teach the students in person. To still be able to deliver the program, Beacon Community Impact’s Health and Wellness Team modified the Be a Friend. Be a Hero program to make it more engaging for students who were learning virtually. Despite the pandemic, the team have had great success. Since January of 2021, the educators have impacted 603 students at 15 elementary schools in both St. Joseph and Elkhart Counties. Our students now recognize all five friend qualities 91% of the time.
After speaking with the students about the importance of having good friends and being a good friend, we have challenged them to “catch each other” demonstrating any one of the five qualities. We encourage them to identify these qualities in each other, and we ask that they recognize when they exhibit one of the qualities themselves. The educators want them not only to realize how showing that friend quality makes someone else feel, but how they feel when they are a good friend to someone. For each school, the class with the most Be a Friend ballots wins an ice cream treat!
Out of the Mouths of Babes
From the Be a Friend. Be a Hero challenge, students have shared how they exhibit friend qualities and when someone has been friendly to them. Many of the responses from the students are heartwarming and are a testament to the wonderful children we have in our communities. Here are just a few:
- Caring: On my first day of third grade there was a girl named Brooklyn. She saw me without any friends and she said do you want to be my friend? It made me happy and she was a hero.
- Caring: When my friend’s parents went through a divorce I got her through that hard time. It made me feel happy and that I did something to help.
- Trustworthy: Standing up for me when I am down. It made me feel a lot better
- Honest: I told my parents I had a test. It made me feel confident.
- Loyal: He stood up for me. It made me feel safe.
- Respectful: I helped a woman by holding the door open for her. I felt good and happy.
