Gainesville residents have long shown their support for children and schools. But passing tax initiatives or donating money is different than dedicating your time.

Finding the time to volunteer during the work week while schools are in session can certainly be a challenge. But a number of local mentoring programs make it easy even for those who might only be able to spare their lunch hour once a week.

“When that one person comes in for the child, it changes the day, it changes the week,” said Laura Creamer, principal of Rawlings Elementary in northeast Gainesville.

Members of The Sun-sponsored Gainesville For All initiative recently met at Rawlings and heard about the school from Creamer. Rawlings is part of the Gainesville Empowerment Zone, which GNV4ALL established to bolster programs and services that support families sending children to schools in that area of the city.

Creamer told the GNV4ALL education team about the school’s SMILE (Spreading Motivation and Inspiring Leadership and Excellence) mentoring program, which was established by the Faith Mission of Trinity United Methodist Church along with Greenhouse Church.

Volunteer mentors visit with third- to fifth-grade students for 30 minutes once a week either during breakfast or lunch periods. The program currently has 30-35 mentors but is seeking about 20 more to meet student demand.

The GNV4ALL education team committed to helping fill the remaining spots — email smilementorprogram@gmail.com or call 352-416-3050 if you’re interested in volunteering.

SMILE is hardly the only mentoring program in local schools. Perhaps the best known is Take Stock in Children, which provides mentoring as well as two-year college scholarships for students that meet the program's requirements.

A list of 17 other mentoring programs at area schools can be found by visiting http://bit.ly/alachuacountyschoolvolunteers and clicking “Mentor Programs” on the right side of the page. There is also contact information there for Liz Clark, volunteer coordinator for Alachua County Public Schools.

Clark encourages those looking to find the best fit for volunteering to contact her before filling out an application on the page. There is a need for volunteer classroom helpers that assist teachers and volunteers in all of the mentoring programs, she said.

“Make a difference — even if it’s just with one child, one day a week,” she said

Studies show the benefits of mentoring. Researchers have found that students who meet regularly with mentors are 52 percent less likely than their peers to skip a day of school and 55 percent more likely to enroll in college.

I just started participating in mentoring programs over the past couple years and have found the benefits go both ways. While I’m unsure how much the students have learned from me, I have definitely learned from them.

Nathan Crabbe is The Sun’s opinion and engagement editor.