90-years-old and still mentoring students

BOULDER - When it comes to middle school, some students need a guide to help them through what could be confusing years. 13-year-old Vidal Barron is getting advice from an unlikely friend in Rosemary Cooke.

"I can tell like stuff that's going on my life to her and she understands stuff like that," said Barron.

Barron is part of the Community Access Mentoring Program in the Boulder Valley School District. CAM is designed to help middle school students by connecting them with adults through an after-school and summer program.

"Our goal is to have another adult show up who cares and who's consistent," said Dr. Patti Ashley, CAM's program coordinator.

Cooke enjoys meeting with Barron, even though she's 77 years older than him.

"I worked until I was 85-years-old and then I retired," said Cooke, a volunteer mentor. "I was so bored, I had to do something."

So she meets with Barron to talk about life, to play foosball, or to experience summer workshops with him on things like jazz or art. CAM runs a camp at six school locations throughout the Boulder Valley School District offering classes on different topics each day.

"Anything that you undertake like this, anything new that you do, you learn," said Cooke. "You learn a lot, just by being with these kids."

Barron feels he can tell his 90-year-old mentor anything.

"I talk about my life to her," said Barron.

Cooke says after raising three kids of her own, she feels she can provide some guidance for her young friend.

"There isn't anything that any kid could even say or do that would even faze me," said Cooke.

This program is more than making friends. Ashley says it's about helping kids stay out of trouble after-school and during summer vacation.

"There's definitely an increase in crime and delinquent behaviors during those hours," said Ashley. "All students who have alone time after school or in the summer, I feel, are at-risk."

This is the first year of CAM and Ashley says it has not reached its goal of helping 150 kids. So far, only 66 students are signed up, but there still a shortage of mentors and volunteers. Ashley says transportation is also a big hurdle for students to get to the school sites.

"A lot of them don't have other opportunities, so we're trying to provide," said Ashley.

She wants more kids to experience the chance to share their lives with an adult who cares, like Cooke.

"I'm hoping I'm making some of connection with Vidal," said Cooke.

Barron says she is, especially for being an unlikely friend.

"She's pretty cool," said Barron.