Posted by: Kim_Hamilton on 01/08/2015 09:30 AM
Updated by: Kim_Hamilton on 01/08/2015 09:30 AM
Expires: 01/01/2020 12:00 AM
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January is National Mentoring Month: Be Someone Who Matters to Someone Who Matters
Angels Camp, CA....This January marks the 14th annual National Mentoring Month, a campaign aimed at expanding quality mentoring programs and connecting more of our community’s young people with caring adults. Here in Calaveras County, the Calaveras County Office of Education administers two youth mentoring programs: the Calaveras Youth Mentoring Program, which supports 25-30 matches at a time between children and caring adult friends; and the FNL Mentoring ....
Program, which connects up to 30 middle school students with high school mentors each year. The Calaveras Mentoring Foundation, a local non-profit organization, supports both programs. Both the Calaveras County Board of Education and the Board of Supervisors annually recognize National Mentoring Month and express their gratitude for our community’s volunteer mentors.
The 2015 National Mentoring Month message is simple: Be Someone Who Matters to Someone Who Matters. Mentoring relationships are basic human connections that let a young person know that they matter. Research has shown that when matched through a quality mentoring program, mentors can play a powerful role in providing young people with the tools to make responsible decisions, stay focused and engaged in school, and reduce or avoid risky behavior like alcohol or drug use. Quality mentoring relationships lead to a significant increase in a young person’s prospects for leading a healthy and productive life, which strengthens families and, ultimately, our entire community.
The Calaveras Mentoring Foundation’s mission is to educate the community and develop volunteer and financial support for the Calaveras Youth Mentoring Program. This January, the Calaveras Mentoring Foundation is offering an exciting donation-matching opportunity. A generous anonymous supporter has committed to match every contribution made to the Calaveras Mentoring Foundation by February 1, 2015, up to $7,500.00. As a result, donations made during National Mentoring Month will double! Visit calaverasmentoringfoundation.org to make a donation.
The Calaveras Youth Mentoring Program connects local youth with safe, positive mentors who offer friendship, opportunity, and support for making healthy life decisions. “The kids we serve are actively seeking connection with adults,” said Colleen Dolan, coordinator of Mentoring Programs at the Calaveras County Office of Education. “They are reaching out, asking for friendship and guidance. Right now we have a 7-year-old girl waiting in Valley Springs who lives with her grandparents and who is incredibly enthusiastic about wanting a mentor. She wants to do crafts and bake cookies. In Angels Camp several boys are waiting for mentors; one 14-year-old on our list is looking for a guy to just hang-out with. He likes playing golf and wants to learn to barbecue.”
FNL Mentoring is a youth development and prevention program which matches 7th and 8th grade protégés from Toyon, Mark Twain, and Avery Middle Schools with older, wiser 10th-12th grade mentors from Calaveras and Bret Harte High Schools. The mentors and protégés meet as a group once a week after school for structured, supervised, and very fun activities highlighting important teen issues such as peer pressure, tobacco, drugs, alcohol, body image, cyber-bullying, resistance techniques, and self-esteem. Each week matched mentors and protégés also spend one-on-one time together building a friendship that crosses age and school boundaries.
A highlight of National Mentoring Month is “Thank Your Mentor Day” on Thursday, January 15, 2015, when Americans are encouraged to thank and honor their mentors. The Calaveras Youth Mentoring Program honors the program’s volunteer mentors with a Volunteer Appreciation event each January as well.
For more information about the Calaveras Youth Mentoring Program, FNL Mentoring, or the Calaveras Mentoring Foundation, the public may call (209) 736-6078 or visit www.calaverasmentoring.org.
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