Posted by: Kim_Hamilton on 01/03/2011 11:32 AM
Updated by: Kim_Hamilton on 01/03/2011 12:39 PM
Expires: 01/01/2016 12:00 AM
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January is National Mentoring Month
Angels Camp, CA....January 2011 marks the 10th annual National Mentoring Month (NMM) campaign to recruit volunteer mentors for youth mentoring programs across the country, and the Calaveras Youth Mentoring Program is reaching out to Calaveras citizens for help. Many children in the county are on the waiting list for a mentor, and there are a variety of ways to keep this vital program going for our community’s children.....
Calaveras mentors met recently to celebrate the holidays and posed for a group photo. Photo credit: Jan Hovey
“Mentoring makes such a difference in a child’s life,” said Kathryn Eustis, Director of Youth and Prevention Programs at the Calaveras County Office of Education. “We need volunteer mentors as well as assistance with fundraising and outreach to the community. We also invite people to support the Calaveras Mentoring Foundation, which recently received 501(c)3 nonprofit status.”
The mission of the Calaveras Youth Mentoring Program is to connect Calaveras County young people in first through twelfth grades with safe, positive adult role models who will offer support, guidance, friendship, and help the youth make healthy life decisions. Potential mentors are thoroughly screened to ensure the safety of the youth in the program. Once matched, mentors and mentees spend a couple of hours a week together for at least a year doing things they both enjoy—sports, going out to supper, seeing a movie, or working on a project. Mentors receive extensive pre-match training and then additional education throughout the year, plus regular monitoring of the friendship, as-needed support, and invitations to group field trips and events.
This year’s National Mentoring Month theme “Help them get there; be a mentor” symbolizes the positive effects of mentoring. The national program mobilizes community volunteers to help young people achieve their potential. The Calaveras Youth Mentoring Program will focus its National Mentoring Month efforts on a public awareness campaign to recruit mentors for local young people that include banners, posters, and brochures.
A highlight of the NMM campaign is Thank Your Mentor Day celebrated on Jan. 25, 2011. 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”: 1) contact your mentor directly to express your appreciation; 2) pass on what you received by becoming a mentor to a young person in your community; 3) make a financial contribution to a local mentoring program; and, 4) write a tribute to your mentor for posting on www.WhoMentoredYou.org.
To celebrate Thank Your Mentor Day, the Calaveras Youth Mentoring Program is hosting a special “Celebration of Mentoring” event Jan. 25 at the Angels Camp Mercantile, 1267 S. Main St. in Angels Camp from 4 to 6 p.m. The public is invited to honor business sponsors, volunteers, and past, current and future mentors of the program. The new Calaveras Youth Mentoring Program promotional video is slated make its debut during the festivities as well. Reservations can be made by calling 736-6078.
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