Jerrod Amstutz, Ohio Northern University student, mixes his university major and minor in a creative way.

As a religion major and theatre minor, the 2009 Bluffton High School grad this year is student coordinator of  “Ada Friends.” The program matches Ada kindergarteners through eighth graders with a college student mentor.

The mix for Amstutz includes working with the Ada Friends program through the ONU Religious Life staff and adding a little theatrics, just to make the job interesting.

On Sunday, for example, you might say that Amstutz played a bit of Santa during the Friends Christmas party.

He helped over 90 ONU students and their elementary matches enjoy Christmas as they decorated cookies, – 17 dozen in all - wrote letters to Santa, created Christmas tree ornaments, pinned a nose on Rudolph and watched a Christmas movie. The two-hour party took place in McIntosh Center at ONU.

Ada Friends, organized in 1991 through the Ohio Northern University Religious Life staff, matches dozens of Ada students with college mentors, according to Amstutz. The ONU Religious Life Staff is under the direction of David MacDonald, ONU chaplain.

Amstutz said, “The match offers the student and mentor one hour a week of time together to develop a relationship.”

In addition to the one-on-one aspect of the program, Ada Friends also offers monthly events with all mentors and mentees, like Sunday’s Christmas party.