In the company of their mentors, children involved in the program gain opportunities to get out into the community, engage in new activities, and practice their social skills. Through consistent and caring contact, the volunteers seek to build trust with their "Sibs." Many times, these relationships blossom into true friendships that last over the student's years at Dartmouth.

Below are answers to some of the questions most frequently asked by parents when first considering Connections for their child:

Any Upper Valley child with a chronic condition-medical, psychological or developmental-who is between the ages of 6 and 13 may apply to be matched with a Dartmouth College volunteer. Students are required to make a one-year commitment to the program, but matches made through this program may last up to four years.

Parents may call the Programs Coordinator, Pam Blair, at 603-448-1268 for more information and/or to request an application. They may also e-mail Pam at respitecare@valley.net. The application is a short form that asks for some basic information about the child's needs and interests. When the coordinator receives the signed application, she will contact the parent to discuss the timeframe for matching the child and to learn more about the parent's expectations.

Most of the volunteers are recruited in September at the beginning of the college year. They may also be recruited at the start of each of the other three terms, although generally fewer students volunteer at these times. If the coordinator cannot immediately match the child, that child will be kept on a waiting list, and the coordinator will check in with the parents from time to time to see if the child and family are still interested. After the new volunteers are interviewed by the coordinator, they will be asked to give permission and the necessary information for an FBI criminal record check; this can take a few more weeks. Once the coordinator has received a satisfactory record check for a student, she will consider which child will be the best match for that volunteer. She will at that time notify the parent that a possible match can be made. The match is only finalized with the parent's approval; when the coordinator receives this, she will give the parent and the student each other's contact information.

Please note that families specifically requesting a young man as a match for their son may find that the matching process takes a little longer. We do our best to honor this request, but unfortunately, fewer young men volunteer for this program than young women.

Connections volunteers are committed to visiting their Sibs for 3 hours once per week when the term is in session. Parents and volunteers handle all the scheduling and planning for activities directly with one another. Families should be aware that students will be gone for vacations throughout the year and may not be available for visits during final exam periods. Dartmouth College has an unusual schedule that sometimes requires undergraduates to be away during the regular academic year but in residence for the summer. The volunteers agree to a one-year commitment to start, with the understanding that they will be off-campus for some portion of that year. The coordinator mails a college calendar to all families in the fall so that they and their volunteers can stay in touch with each other about scheduling constraints and vacation plans. As noted earlier, many of the matches last beyond that first year, often for all four years that the student is at Dartmouth.

Students who volunteer for Connections generally have some experience with special needs children, either through previous work or volunteer experience or through their personal lives. Connections volunteers must complete two orientation sessions during the interview and matching period. These sessions focus on general concerns that parents may have when raising a child with special needs, such as the worry that the child does not have enough friends, may have to deal with a lot of therapies and/or treatments, and may not always have the chance to try new things. The SNSC coordinator and the Tucker Foundation coordinators stay in touch with the volunteers during the term to provide support to the mentoring process. Students are given a manual when they are matched that offers not only information about things to do with their little Sib but also on how to find information to better understand their little Sibs and make the experience of visiting together enjoyable.

It is recommended that the first few visits take place at the family home, so that there is plenty of opportunity for the parent to observe the interactions and to talk directly to the student about specific safety concerns, strategies for handling behavior, special interests of the child, and the parent's goals for the volunteer relationship. The message that the student receives from both the SNSC coordinator at the interview and from the Tucker Foundation coordinators who organize the orientation sessions is that the parents are the experts and always have the final say. Parents are encouraged to always keep the lines of communication open with the student, not just about planning but also about the quality and benefits of the activities that the student and the child enjoy together.