Church Street fifth-grade students play games with mentors from Grandpas United

A group of young people are engaged in a game of Jenga, with one person carefully removing a wooden block from the tower while others watch intently.

Jan 26 2026

A group of fifth-grade students at Church Street Elementary School enjoyed special recess activities on Friday, as they were joined by their mentors – volunteers from Grandpas United – for tabletop games such as Battleship and Jenga.

A group of students sitting around a table, engaged in an activity or discussion, with a large screen or display visible in the background.

“Our grandpa volunteers have watched these kids grow up over the past few years,” said Sam Scafidi, assistant program coordinator for Grandpas United.

Volunteers have been playing games with the students since they were in third grade. As they’ve watched the kids grow, they’ve also watched their interests change.

“The games have evolved as they've gotten older into more complex games,” Mr. Scafidi added. “We have more kids who are interested in chess, whereas before, they were more interested in things like Connect 4. The goal is to encourage positive role models in these students' lives, and they seem to really enjoy it.”

For the past few years, the grandpas have visited Church Street twice a month for their mentoring and gaming sessions. Students have become comfortable with their mentors over the years, even changing the rules when they play games like Uno and Battleship (at least when it benefits them).

The image shows an older man and a younger man playing a game of Jenga together in what appears to be a public building or facility.

“I like that we can go against them in games and we can play with them,” said Gael Malacatus, a fifth-grade student at Church Street. He also explained that the grandpas have given him advice and encouraged him in positive ways.

“Sometimes they give us rice crispies or snacks when we do good things,” Gael said, explaining how the grandpas encourage positive behavior.

When the idea of mentoring students was first conceived, members of Grandpas United made sure that they knew the best ways to reach students. To do this, they began ongoing training with social workers to give them the tools they need to support children of different age groups. Currently, volunteers continue to work on their mentoring skills on weeks when they don’t visit the school.

The image shows several young students gathered around a table, engaged in what appears to be a collaborative learning activity involving a tablet device.

“The thing that happens is that the games are sort of an icebreaker,” said John Steward, a volunteer for Grandpas United. “From that, we have the interactions with the kids. And it's not just the grandpas teaching the kids things; some of the kids have taught us things like chess. So, it's a two-way street.”

On Friday, grandpas taught students a new dice game: Ship, Captain, Crew. At the end of the year, this group will move on to Eastview Middle School, and the grandpas plan to start with a new set of students to continue their impact.

Grandpas United describes itself as “a growing network of grandfathers (and grandfather figures) who come together to enjoy time with each other, mentor youth, inspire fathers and strengthen our communities.” Volunteers support White Plains families through other programs such as JumpStart for Dads, where they help fathers build positive parenting skills. Click here to read more about Grandpas United.

A group of people, some wearing uniforms, are gathered around a table engaged in an activity, with others in the background.

A group of people, including an older man and a younger man, are seated at a table in what appears to be a school or community center, engaged in an activity involving small objects and papers.

An elderly man and a young boy are intently focused on building a tower of wooden blocks together in what appears to be a classroom or educational setting, with traffic cones visible in the background.

The image shows a man wearing a blue "Dundee United" baseball cap interacting with two young boys, who appear to be playing a game with wooden blocks on a table in what looks like a school or community center setting.

The image shows a group of young people engaged in a game of chess, with one person using a tablet or laptop device, while the others are focused on the chess board in front of them. The background appears to be a classroom or study area, with a television or display screen visible.

The image shows a group of people engaged in a chess game, with a man in a blue "Games United" hat sitting at the table and playing against another person. The background appears to be a classroom or study area, with other people visible in the room.