PHOTO PROVIDED / THE VILLAGE REPORTER
MENTORING PROGRAM … The guest speaker at the August 20, 2025, Kiwanis Meeting was Ashley Epling. Ashley is the Vice-President of Mentors for Williams County, and she spoke about the organization, its goals and their mission. Mentors for Williams County was founded in 2020 by a group that was originally brought together by Leadership of Williams County, a nine-month course offered by the Bryan Chamber to develop future leaders. Volunteer mentors are trained by the organization and then paired with typically middle school-aged children that have been identified as falling through the cracks at school or are ready entangled with the juvenile court system. The goal of the program is to inspire the youth to make positive changes in his/her life and end the repeating pattern of harmful or otherwise negative behavior. Pictured is Kent Hardy, Kiwanian and program host with Ashley Epling.
