National Mentoring Month 2009
January is National Mentoring Month and Mass Mentoring is gearing up for another successful recruitment season.
NEW! President-elect Obama is in a print ad encouraging people to "Be the change: mentor a child." President Bush has also issued a Proclamation designating January 2009 as National Mentoring Month.
MMP and the Massachusetts Service Alliance will host the Third Annual Youth Mentoring Day at the State House on Jan. 28. This year's theme is "Support Mentoring. Change Lives!"
The Recognition Program, from 11 a.m. (registration starts at 10:30) to noon in the Nurses Hall, features keynote speaker Suffolk County Sheriff Andrea Cabral, who believes in mentoring as a prevention strategy for youth. The program will honor Rep. Marie St. Fleur, Sen. Thomas McGee, Sen. Stanley Rosenberg, Sen. Joan Menard, Rep. Cheryl Coakley-Rivera, Rep. Patricia Haddad, and Natalie Wadzinski for their continued support of mentoring.
Immediately following the program, from noon to 2 p.m., we will hold a Mentor Recruitment Fair, in partnership with SERV (State Employees Responding to Volunteer) on the Grand Staircase. More than a dozen diverse programs will share information about volunteer mentoring opportunities through their agencies.
This is a fantastic opportunity to network with other mentoring programs, learn how you can be a stronger voice for mentoring, meet with legislators and advocate for your organization.
Lunch will be provided along with free raffles and youth performances.
For questions regarding Youth Mentoring Day, please contact Alison Drew at adrew@massmentors.org or by phone at 617-695-2475.
Here are some other ways you can get involved:
- Invite current and potential mentors. The Young Professional Society of Greater Springfield and MMP will host them as special guests at Theodores' Booze, Blues and BBQ, 201 Worthington St., Springfield, on Jan. 15 from 5 to 8 p.m. This social event will include food, a cash bar, music and some terrific raffle prizes! RSVP by e-mailing social@springfieldyps.com.
- Join our planning team. MMP is forming a committee comprised of community leaders and program representatives to coordinate events around the state during National Mentoring Month.
- Take advantage of free collateral material and PSAs. MMP will be distributing posters, thank you cards, recruitment cards, and bookmarks free of charge. Print and broadcast PSAs will also be available. Check out what Usher and Quincy Jones have to say about mentoring!
- Share your mentoring success stories. We'll be looking for compelling stories to share with media outlets across the state, so if you have powerful mentor-mentee success stories, please pass them along.
For all of your National Mentoring Month needs, contact Richard Hines at
rhines@massmentors.org or by phone at 617-695-2432.
Be sure to visit the new
National Mentoring Month Web site for a one-stop shop for all things related to National Mentoring Month. Co-sponsored by the Corporation for National and Community Service, the Harvard School of Public Health and MENTOR, it offers two television PSAs, a radio PSA, printed NMM materials, a listing of local lead NMM partners in each state, and more.
Above: State Sen. Steven Panagiotakos speaks at the Second Annual Youth Mentoring Day in 2008.
Thank you to our National Mentoring Month supporters:
