Approximately 90 of Coastal Carolina University's student mentors and 90 Horry County school children will enjoy a special educational experience at WonderWorks in Myrtle Beach on Friday, Nov. 7. Media are invited to cover the event, which lasts from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Broadway at the Beach.

CCU's Floyd Family Mentors program will pair the college students with children mentees from nine Horry County schools. Participating elementary schools are Carolina Forest, Conway, Ocean Bay, Socastee, South Conway and Waccamaw Elementary, along with Aynor, Conway and Myrtle Beach middle schools.

Now in its ninth year, the Dalton and Linda Floyd Family Mentoring program pairs Coastal Carolina University students with children in local schools. They meet at least an hour each week for lunch, recess or during exploratory classes. For the current semester, there are 150 university students participating, half of whom are future educators, along with students from 15 other majors across campus.

The purpose of the program is to improve South Carolina's high school graduation rate by connecting area children with college students who give them encouragement and direction.

For more information on the Dalton and Linda Floyd Family Mentoring Program, contact the Biddle Center for Teaching, Learning and Community Engagement at 843-349-2665 or biddlecenter@coastal.edu.