MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN A CHILD’S LIFE: BE A MENTOR
By Dave Rosenberg
Yolo County Supervisor, District Four
WANTED: Mentors.
QUALIFICATIONS: Caring Yolo County Residents.
APPLICATION PERIOD: RIGHT NOW!
There are so many kids in Yolo County who need or want mentors that they are on waiting lists. There are kids who need an adult friend, a role model, a steady and predictable person in their lives. These are kids who are displaced, lonely, failing in school, homeless. These are kids who will grow up to be valued, productive, responsible members of their communities. Or not.
It finally boils down to people, to individuals, who one-on-one take the time to make a difference in a single child’s life. That individual could be – you.
Currently, in Yolo County, a number of special organizations are working hard to make a difference in children’s lives. These groups need volunteers! The groups include:
- CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates). This group recruits and trains advocates (mentors) for youth who are wards of the Yolo County courts.
- Sister-Friend. Individual and group mentoring for pregnant and parenting teenagers.
- Mentor Connections Inc. Provides technical assistance for mentoring programs in Yolo County including recruiting, orientation and training. Supervises mentor/mentee matches through the Cal Mentor Program, and also provides TNT (Tuesday Nights Together) for mentor/mentee matches and youth waiting for mentors.
- Parent-to-Parent. One to one and group mentoring for parents including recruiting, training and weekly support groups.
- Teen Heroes. Teens mentoring younger children in after school programs at local elementary schools and middle school, as well as summer camp programs.
- Cuatro Teseros. Support group and group mentoring for Latino youth through Woodland High School’s MECHA program.
The list of organizations involved in mentoring is long. The list of youth needing mentors is longer. The need for mentors in Yolo County is great. Yolo County residents who want more information on mentoring and mentor/mentee programs or who have at least some interest in becoming mentors should call me at 668-1200 or 757-7000 or email me at daverose@jps.net.