Pete Hutchison

FLINT - The nerves never last; the blessings, however, are eternal.
57-year-old Pete Hutchison, a member of First Presbyterian Church of Flint for more than 10 years, still gets those same first-day-of-school butterflies after all these years.
Hutchison, who has devoted his life to child advocacy, says that turning the call to service into a first step can be difficult - but, you'll never regret it.
"The first interaction is scary, every time; that hasn't changed," said Hutchison, of Fenton, who volunteers in the "Lunch Buddy" program at West Bendle Elementary School in Burton. "Every time I do it, I'm incredibly blessed to have done it and always come back. You just have to get over that first nervousness."
Hutchison, who came from Detroit to Flint in 1973 to work in the juvenile justice system, continues to be awed by the yields of such a simple investment of time.
"The young man I'm eating lunch with this year wouldn't talk to people at all when we first started," said Hutchison, who spends a lunch break every week with his 5th-grade chum as part of the program that reaches out to students in the Flint City Schools and other outlying districts.
"He has certainly become more outgoing over the course of the year.
"I work my whole schedule around those lunch periods. We have developed a relationship over time...having one on one time with an adult can be very helpful."
And the best part, for Hutchison, is that this community service is for everyone.
There's no special training for this," he said. "You just go and be yourself. We all have different backgrounds. It's really just: grab a sandwich, go down, eat lunch and talk.
"And the impact is huge."
Hutchison is also the director of the United Way's Bridge's to the Future program, the largest after school collaboration of its kind in the country. The program specializes in one-on-one mentoring of students at more than 110 sites in Genesee County.
Hutchison says that there's a need for volunteers at every site.
"There are plenty of opportunities where people who hook up with a school near them to help out with kids," he said. "We provide after school programming. Volunteers might even teach a class. And it doesn't have to be academic. It could be anything you are passionate about sharing with kids."
And in the midst of it all, you, like Hutchison, might even find your calling.
"I think any volunteer work that involves kids, that's the gift that God gave me," he said. "I've been called to work with kids."
For more information on Bridges to the Future, visit the United Way of Genesee County at unitedwaygenesee.org on the internet.
Anyone interested in being involved in the "Lunch Buddy" program can call the Genesee Intermediate School District at 810.591.4400.