Over two dozen Delaware Department of Justice employees took a break from their usual workday to the celebrate with students they’ve mentored this school year at Bancroft and Stubbs Elementary Schools.
June Griffith-Stepp coordinates the program through Bancroft Elementary and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Delaware.
She says creating mentoring opportunities for students in Wilmington’s East Side neighborhood makes a real difference.
"The children on this side of town really do not have the resources available to them, and the fact that we’re getting the support from workers, from employees, effortlessly, is a gift," says Griffith-Stepp.
Attorney General Matt Denn spoke to the students and Justice Department Staff at their year end pizza party - commending them on the work they do together once a week on reading, math and even healthy play.
Denn says engaging kids in school now can help them foster healthy relationships and avoid problems later on in their lives.
"We don’t want to be just prosecuting crimes. we want to be getting out in front of things and working with kids when they’re young to make sure that they are successful, and that we never see them as part of the criminal justice system," he says.