AUSTIN, Texas — As part of the CBS Austin and Telemundo Austin Community Partner Program, this month’s spotlight is on Seedling, a local nonprofit dedicated to mitigating the impact of parental incarceration through school-based mentorship.

CBS Austin Community Partner: Seedling Supporting Students Through Mentorship!

CBS Austin Community Partner: Seedling Supporting Students Through Mentorship!

Jamie Avila and Melissa Neuman joined Sierra Waggoner to share how the organization is making a difference for 500 students across Central Texas this school year.

{p}Jamie Avila and Melissa Neuman joined Sierra Waggoner to share how the organization is making a difference for 500 students across Central Texas this school year.{/p}

Jamie Avila and Melissa Neuman joined Sierra Waggoner to share how the organization is making a difference for 500 students across Central Texas this school year.

For those unfamiliar, Seedling provides one-on-one mentorship to students with an incarcerated parent, matching them with trained volunteers who meet with them weekly on their school campus.

{p}“Seedling is a school-based mentoring program where we help mitigate the impact of parental incarceration — something most people don’t think about,” Neuman explained. “There are over 10,000 students in Central Texas who have a parent who is incarcerated. That’s about one in every 28 students — almost one in every classroom in the Austin area.”{/p}

“Seedling is a school-based mentoring program where we help mitigate the impact of parental incarceration — something most people don’t think about,” Neuman explained. “There are over 10,000 students in Central Texas who have a parent who is incarcerated. That’s about one in every 28 students — almost one in every classroom in the Austin area.”

“Seedling is a school-based mentoring program where we help mitigate the impact of parental incarceration — something most people don’t think about,” Neuman explained. “There are over 10,000 students in Central Texas who have a parent who is incarcerated. That’s about one in every 28 students — almost one in every classroom in the Austin area.”

{p}For those unfamiliar, Seedling provides one-on-one mentorship to students with an incarcerated parent, matching them with trained volunteers who meet with them weekly on their school campus.{/p}

For those unfamiliar, Seedling provides one-on-one mentorship to students with an incarcerated parent, matching them with trained volunteers who meet with them weekly on their school campus.

Neuman shared that this school year alone, more than 500 students are being mentored — alongside 500 volunteer mentors.

{p}Mentorship takes place during the school day, allowing students to build consistent, supportive relationships in a safe and familiar environment. Neuman emphasized that people don’t need specialized credentials to get involved.{/p}

Mentorship takes place during the school day, allowing students to build consistent, supportive relationships in a safe and familiar environment. Neuman emphasized that people don’t need specialized credentials to get involved.

“That’s about 1,000 people coming together every single week to help mitigate these impacts for children,” she said. “It’s been a beautiful thing to be part of. We’ve been local to Austin for over 20 years, and that makes a huge difference in the fabric of our community.”

Mentorship takes place during the school day, allowing students to build consistent, supportive relationships in a safe and familiar environment. Neuman emphasized that people don’t need specialized credentials to get involved.

Mentorship takes place during the school day, allowing students to build consistent, supportive relationships in a safe and familiar environment. Neuman emphasized that people don’t need specialized credentials to get involved.

Seedling began 21 years ago after founders recognized a growing need.

“We started 21 years ago — last year was our 20th anniversary, and we had a big celebration with all of our founders,” Avila shared. “One of the founders originally started a beautification program in Austin, and through that work, they discovered a great need in our community. There were so many kids with a parent who was incarcerated, and that need just kept growing. In 21 years, we’ve served over 3,300 kids, and we now help about 500 students each year.”

{p}Neuman shared that this school year alone, more than 500 students are being mentored — alongside 500 volunteer mentors.{/p}

Neuman shared that this school year alone, more than 500 students are being mentored — alongside 500 volunteer mentors.

Mentorship takes place during the school day, allowing students to build consistent, supportive relationships in a safe and familiar environment. Neuman emphasized that people don’t need specialized credentials to get involved.

“A lot of people feel like they need training in trauma therapy — but that’s not the case,” she said. “We’re honestly looking for people to be a friend. We meet once a week for lunch at the school. We match mentors geographically and based on shared interests. The little girl I mentor and I both love art, so we do a lot of art and coloring together. We play games. A lot of these kids don’t get the opportunity to just be children — they’ve had to carry heavy things from the start. Being someone consistent and caring in their life, not there to tutor or correct them, but just to be a friend, makes a huge difference. Mentoring isn’t as hard as it sounds. It’s really about being present.”

“A lot of people feel like they need training in trauma therapy — but that’s not the case,” she said. “We’re honestly looking for people to be a friend. We meet once a week for lunch at the school. We match mentors geographically and based on shared interests. The little girl I mentor and I both love art, so we do a lot of art and coloring together. We play games. A lot of these kids don’t get the opportunity to just be children — they’ve had to carry heavy things from the start. Being someone consistent and caring in their life, not there to tutor or correct them, but just to be a friend, makes a huge difference. Mentoring isn’t as hard as it sounds. It’s really about being present.”IMG_2439.JPG

“A lot of people feel like they need training in trauma therapy — but that’s not the case,” she said. “We’re honestly looking for people to be a friend. We meet once a week for lunch at the school. We match mentors geographically and based on shared interests. The little girl I mentor and I both love art, so we do a lot of art and coloring together. We play games. A lot of these kids don’t get the opportunity to just be children — they’ve had to carry heavy things from the start. Being someone consistent and caring in their life, not there to tutor or correct them, but just to be a friend, makes a huge difference. Mentoring isn’t as hard as it sounds. It’s really about being present.”IMG_2439.JPG

With Amplify Austin underway, the community has an opportunity to support Seedling’s mission.

“You can give,” Neuman said. “We have a goal of $20,000 over the next two days. We’ve been an Austin-based nonprofit for over 21 years, and we’re present in more than 130 schools. We’re deeply connected to students in this community. Supporting Seedling means supporting students who may otherwise have been forgotten.”

Avila echoed the call to action.

“We need mentors,” he said. “I’ve been a mentor for three years, and it’s one of the highlights of my week. It gets me out of my head and connected to my heart!”

To learn more about Seedling or find out how to get involved, visit their website online.

{p}To learn more about Seedling or find out how to get involved, visit their website online.{/p}

To learn more about Seedling or find out how to get involved, visit their website online.

To learn more about the CBS Austin and Telemundo Austin Community Partner Program, and to apply, visit cbsaustin.com/communitypartner.

{p}To learn more about the CBS Austin and Telemundo Austin Community Partner Program, and to apply, visit cbsaustin.com/communitypartner.{/p}{p}Special thanks to RBFCU for supporting these segments and highlighting the incredible work of nonprofits like Seedling in our community.{/p}

To learn more about the CBS Austin and Telemundo Austin Community Partner Program, and to apply, visit cbsaustin.com/communitypartner.

Special thanks to RBFCU for supporting these segments and highlighting the incredible work of nonprofits like Seedling in our community.

Special thanks to RBFCU for supporting these segments and highlighting the incredible work of nonprofits like Seedling in our community.