"The kids are just so cute and fun to work with," former student of Freeman Elementary School Gayle Burgoyne said. "You almost forget that they're in elementary school."

The HOSTS program stands for Helping One Student to Succeed and is a mentoring program for elementary school students. Mentors work with students on their reading skills during school for 30 minutes a day. The HOSTS program began in Pasadena ISD in 1992.

Burgoyne left Freeman in 1969 and next year will be her eighth year to be a mentor in HOSTS. Her encouragement to become a mentor was established from her days at Freeman.

"When I was in school, there was a boy in my classes that had some trouble reading. All he needed was a little help and encouragement," she said. "Children shouldn't be embarrassed because they have trouble and they should feel like they can get help. I wanted to help, so I volunteered for the HOSTS program."

Burgoyne noticed many changes in Freeman since she attended the school. With the HOSTS program in full effect, Burgoyne observes a difference not only in the children, but in the teachers as well.

"Some children need help reading for different reasons," she said. "Some may be shy or translating a language, and some may have vision or hearing problems. It's a matter of finding out each individual's needs and the teachers seem to understand and recognize that."

Last year, Burgoyne was awarded for volunteering 85 hours in the HOSTS program at Freeman. She spends much of her time with the children because they are so eager to learn.

"Being around students that need help is so rewarding," said Burgoyne. "Each child has their own personality and all we have to do as mentors, teachers and parents is sound them out and then work with their personality type."

Jackie Muller attended Gardens Elementary School from 1951 to 1956. Her employment at Chevron Phillips is what encouraged her to begin mentoring at her old elementary school.

"Chevron Phillips really encouraged all of the employees to get involved with the HOSTS program at Gardens," Muller said. "Gardens and the program are very strongly supported there."

Although Muller retired from Chevron Phillips in 2001, she has not yet retired from the HOSTS program at Gardens.

"I really love to work with children," she said. "The smiles on their faces and the hugs that they give you can just really melt your heart."

Muller fully supports the HOSTS program, along with her father Burt Woodring who is also a mentor at Gardens. She feels that the HOSTS program is very beneficial to the students in many different ways.

"Mentors in HOSTS not only help the students read and learn but they also help them with their confidence," Muller said. "One of the biggest things you can give a child is self-esteem and they get that when you recognize that they have improved, which is very rewarding."

Bill McMillin, minister of missions at South Main Baptist Church in Pasadena, left Kruse Elementary School in 1951. McMillin also is an insurance agent and owns McMillin Insurance Agency in Houston.

McMillin is a strong believer in giving back to his community, which is why he chose to mentor in the HOSTS program at Kruse.

"The community has always been very good to me," he said. "I want to be able to give back to the community and do the same for them."

McMillin has set his own goals as a mentor in order to help the students with their individual needs.

"I see what level they're at when they enter the program," he said. "From there, I want to help them improve by helping them get at least to the level they are supposed to be at, if not higher."

McMillin believes that the program provides positive opportunities not only for the students, but for the community as well.

"HOSTS gives children the chance to work on skills they need to improve on and it involves the community so that they are able to see what is going on the schools," he said. "I am very proud of our district and all that it has accomplished and I think that the community should be involved in it."