It's National Mentoring Month!

The Friends Program is pleased to be part of National Mentoring Month, a month-long national campaign dedicated to raising awareness of the benefits of mentoring and recruiting more volunteer mentors. By being a positive role model, a mentor helps to motivate a child to learn and achieve. Research shows that mentoring decreases the likelihood that young people will engage in harmful behaviors, while improving the chances that they will attend school regularly, improve academically and lead healthy, productive lives.

Gen. Colin Powell will headline the eighth annual national mentoring month volunteer recruitment drive; the campaign mobilizes community volunteers to help young people achieve their potential. This year's theme is "Expand Your Universe. Mentor a Child."

Nationally, in 2007 more than 375,000 individuals responded by seeking information about local mentoring programs that need more volunteers.

Research has shown that programs that rely on volunteer mentors can play a powerful role in reducing drug abuse and youth violence while greatly enhancing a young person's prospects for leading a healthy and productive life.

As a highlight of National Mentoring Month, "Thank Your Mentor Day" will be celebrated on Jan. 22. On that day, many Americans will reach out to thank or honor those individuals who encouraged and guided them, and had a lasting impact on their lives.

"Thank Your Mentor Day" promotes four ways to honor your mentor: Contact your mentor directly to express your appreciation, pass on what you received by becoming a mentor to a young person in your community, make a financial contribution to a local mentoring program and write a tribute to your mentor for posting on whomentoredyou.org.

The Friends Program is dedicated to supporting the effort to recruit more mentors for local children. Volunteers are needed so that more children can be served. For additional information on becoming a mentor, please contact the Friends Program at 228-1193 or jsf@friendsprogram.org [2].

The Friends Program