Malibu Non-profit Provides Mentoring for At-risk Students
Malibu non-profit provides mentoring for at-risk students
In the fall of 2008 a group of disenchanted middle schoolers sat in Gene Bream’s seventh-grade world history class, rolling their eyes at his lecture on ancient China.
Emily Shane’s hand shot in the air from the second seat of the first row in the classroom, where she sat every afternoon.
Emily’s urgency showed on her face as her hand waved side to side and rose from her seat.
“I’ll never forget her question,” Bream said. “It was, ‘Mr. Bream, why is it called history? Why isn’t it called her-story?’ That was Emily Rose Shane.”
Emily’s story was that of a friendly, bright and inquisitive child, who struggled in a conventional classroom environment and had processing issues, according to Emily’s mother, Ellen, who “experimented” with numerous options to help Emily academically, eventually working with Bream and Pepperdine student mentors to maximize her success in school.
After a tragic car accident took Emily’s life in April 2010, Ellen and Michel Shane decided to continue her story, creating the Successful Education Achievement Program which provides mentors for struggling middle school students in several schools across Southern California.
On April 22, the SEA Program celebrated its third annual fundraiser at the Malibu home of Kathy Landon, where members, contributors and students of the SEA Program shared their stories with several dozen supporters who also participated in a silent and public auction to benefit the foundation.
“All these wonderful kids who shared their stories today are part of Emily’s story,” said Bream, who is now a board member for the program. “From one mentor at Malibu High and one little seventh-grader, the program is now 83 students and 40 mentors in three years.”
