VALDOSTA — The Scott Craven Breakfast Club is for children at Sallas Mahone Elementary School with one or two parents deployed in the military. 

Craven, who was an instructor pilot assigned to the 3rd Flying Squadron at Moody Air Force Base, passed away in a car accident in 2006, but the Scott Craven Mentoring Program lives, according to organizers. 

He was one of the nine Moody AFB pilots who first mentored Sallas Mahone students with deployed parents.

An event called South Georgia Loves Moody Kids will be held 7:15 a.m., March 14, at Sallas Mahone during South Georgia Loves Moody Week. The event will welcome Moody personnel and superintendents from Cook County, Lanier County and Lowndes County.

Craven’s parents, Linda and Robert Craven, plan to attend, traveling from their home in Pennsylvania. 

During the Feb. 27 Valdosta Board of Education meeting, two students who were part of the Scott Craven Breakfast Club shared fond memories of the program. 

Eighth-grader Niara Walker-Potts took part in the program when she attended Sallas Mahone. So did seventh-grader Ja’Niayah Ellis who was an honorary member of the club, as her father had lost his life serving in Afghanistan. 

Walker-Potts said she enjoyed being around and connecting with other students who were like her. 

“It was kind of hard having my dad being gone all the time, but I realized it wasn’t just me going through this,” she said. 

Ellis said her father, Staff Sgt. James Ellis, was a fallen hero who served in the Army for six years and whose awards include the Purple Heart. 

“I loved the experience of Scott Craven Breakfast Club because it’s a battle knowing that my father passed away,” she said. “I knew that it was hard, and it was a big thing to take in at such a young age.” 

She said she was thankful for the support in getting through her journey. 

Visit www.scmentoringfund.com for more information or to donate to the program. 

Kimberly Cannon is a Reporter with The Valdosta Daily Times. Her extension is 1376.