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Daniel
G. Mulhern: Mentoring Pays a Double Dividend
Detroit Free Press, January 30, 2006
"Mentoring
a child changes the world two lives at a time.
Research is clear that mentoring helps young people
establish goals, improve school performance, stay
out of trouble and, perhaps just as important,
simply feel important. What is less talked about,
however, is the extraordinary contribution this
experience makes in the life of a mentor. A survey
by AOL-Time Warner found that 99% of those in
formal mentoring programs say they would recommend
it to others."
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Boy
Has Found Mentor For Life
Miami Herald, January 29, 2006
"When
West Kendall resident Vincent Triana, 14, has
a bad day at school, needs to talk to someone,
or just wants to hang out, he calls his mentor,
Felino Gonzalez. But Gonzalez, 37, is more than
his mentor. 'He calls him his brother from another
mother,' said Angela Triana, Vincent's mom. Big
Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Miami, a volunteer
group that matches children in need of mentors,
paired Gonzalez and Vincent four years ago."
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A
'Big Brother' -- And Bigger Rewards
Miami Herald, January 29, 2006
"At
first glance, 14-year-old Marc McComas and 60-year-old
Tom Fuhrman seem an unlikely pair of pals. But
thanks to Big Brothers Big Sisters, a volunteer
group that matches children with mentors, Fuhrman
has been a mentor and friend to Marc for five
years. 'It's fun to have the opportunity to associate
with another boy and watch them grow,' said Fuhrman,
whose son and daughter are grown and on their
own. Marc
and Fuhrman have become good friends and make
the most of their differences by introducing each
other to new things."
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Everybody
Should Have a Friend Like Nick
The Day (Connecticut), January 28, 2006
"If
you're thinking about becoming a mentor, good
thinking...But mentoring isn't always a program.
I learned through my experiences coaching baseball
and basketball, through assistant teaching and
tutoring and through my children's friendships
that the one thing most kids want is an adult
they can't let down. When a child who is not your
own feels that way about you, then you are a mentor."
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Mentors
Make a Positive Difference
The
Coloradoan, January 27, 2006
"I'm
bursting with pride, joy and satisfaction in a
job well-done ... and well-appreciated. Days before
my 63d birthday, a wonderful greeting card came
from my special friend, a 12-year-old Fort Collins
boy named Alan. His message marked 'Thank Your
Mentor Day' on Jan. 25 and January's National
Mentoring Month: 'Thank you Tom for all the wonderful
things you have done for me. I've just expected
you to be my mentor, but you've been even more.'"
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Mentoring
Month a Good Chance to Get Involved
Oklahoma
Daily, January 26, 2006
"January
is National Mentoring Month, and some may not
be aware of how fun, easy and rewarding mentoring
can be - for both the volunteer and the child.
Everyone can remember that "special"
someone who brought a little magic into their
lives as they grew up. The thing few of us take
the time to realize is that these simple activities
were fun and rewarding for the coach, neighbor
and friend's father, too. Being a mentor helps
kids broaden their views and offers them new experiences.
Mentors, though, gain the satisfaction of seeing
a child accomplish something they didn't think
they could. It's fun to be a kid again, and mentoring
is a great route to get there."
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Elmira
Schools Give Thanks to Mentors Today
Elmira
Star-Gazette (New York), January 25, 2006
"The
impact mentors have on the lives of others is
celebrated each January with National Mentoring
Month, the centerpiece of which is Thank Your
Mentor Day, celebrated today. Four distinct mentoring
programs exist in the Elmira City School District.
They meet in and out of school, one-on-one and
in groups, but they all have a common goal, said
Mary Jane Belinky, mentoring coordinator for the
district. 'The mentor programs are designed to
make sure the kids have someone in their corner,'
Belinky said."
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Connection
Keeps Kids in School
Cincinnati
Enquirer, January 25, 2006
"January
is National Mentoring Month and today is National
Thank Your Mentor Day, both brainchildren of the
Harvard School of Public Health. They offer a
perfect opportunity to reflect on something that's
been part of almost every successful person's
life - that adult who stood along the sidelines,
coaching a young person to achievement, teaching
him or her the rules of the workplace. The power
of a mentor is almost beyond the realm of statistics,
but independent research on the Cincinnati Youth
Collaborative's program shows mentored students
had better attendance, improved academic performance
and self esteem, and fewer serious discipline
problems than their peers. Nearly 9 in 10 seniors
in the program went on to graduate. Three in four
parents said mentoring helped their children's
school performance; nearly 90 percent said it
enriched their lives."
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Calling
All Mentors
Philadelphia
Daily News, January 25, 2006
"Sometimes,
all that confused and troubled young people want
and need is someone who will listen to them and
care about their problems. Traditionally, this
important role is filled by parents, but in a
world in which single-parent households are all
too common and children are sometimes forced by
economic and societal pressures to grow up too
fast, young people are often left in need of positive
adult influences in their lives. It is for that
reason that mentoring is so important and why
so many more volunteers are needed."
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Mentors
Can Offer Young People Guidance, Support
Battle
Creek Enquirer (Michigan), January 24, 2006
"All
kids need mentors, and it is our responsibility
as adults to reach out and lend a hand when we
see a child in need. January is Mentoring Month
in Michigan, and Gov. Jennifer Granholm's husband,
Daniel G. Mulhern, is raising awareness about
the importance of mentoring through the Mentor
Michigan Initiative. Mulhern is emphasizing the
need for men to become mentors, pointing to a
recent study released by Kahle Research Solutions
Inc. that showed only about one-third of those
involved in mentoring programs in Michigan are
men."
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Mentor
Program Helps Shape Futures
Hibbing
Daily Tribune (Minnesota), January 23, 2006
"Just
like their sled ride down the snow hill, the relationship
between Chuck Neil and seven-year-old Jordon Masieniec
is gaining speed. 'We're just starting to get
to know each other," said Neil with Masieniec
at his side while taking a quick break from sledding.
"We only met a few weeks ago.' The two were
matched and met through the Hibbing Kinship Mentor
Program, a local mentor-mentee program that's
been in existence since the mid-1990s. Since meeting,
the pair has engaged in fun activities, such as
cross country skiing."
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Local
Mentors Find They Make a Difference
Parkesburg Ledger (Pennsylvania), January 12, 2006
"Mentors
Matter has been under the direction of founder
Laura Wilson since December 2002 and since then,
the program has been hosting a myriad of activities
for the youth including a luau in the park, a
trip to Lincoln University, lunches at Peppercorn's,
participation in the Upward Bound program, a scavenger
hunt at the library and much more. Why? Because
according to mentoring.org, there are 35.2 million
young people in the U.S. today and one out of
four lives with a single parent. One youth in
10 was born to teen parents. One out of five lives
in poverty and one out of 10 will not finish high
school."
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Mother
of 4 Knows: Mentors Invaluable
The Warwick Beacon (Rhode
Island), January 12, 2006
"Children
involved in the mentoring program within the Warwick
school system, in partnership with the Rhode Island
Mentoring Partnership/Feinstein Mentor Network,
are chosen by their principals for many different
reasons. Some are special needs, some might be
troubled or considered at-risk or, as in the case
of Jennifer Cusack's four children, they could
just use a friend to talk to. 'I think every child
needs someone else in their lives, a friend they
can talk to and spend time with one on one,' said
Cusack."
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Powell
Honors Florida Mentors
Democrat Capitol Bureau
(Florida), January 11, 2006
"In
1999, Powell helped Bush launch the Governor's
Mentoring Initiative, now known as the Florida
Mentoring Partnership, with a goal of rallying
200,000 mentors statewide. 'He did it,' Powell
said. 'I'm proud to see what this governor has
done.' The Florida Mentoring Partnership helps
students excel both in school and in life by recruiting
Floridians to be mentors. The program promotes
cooperation among state agencies, municipalities,
businesses, nonprofit groups, schools and individuals."
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Celebrating
National Mentoring Month
Rappahannock News (Virginia), January 11, 2006
"Markeith
Kerns' earliest memories of his mentor, Steve
Carroll, are typical of the adventures they have
shared during their four-year partnership...Since
he was in third grade Markeith, who will turn
13 next month, has met weekly with his mentor.
'We go to Steve's house, take the dogs to the
stream, help Beth (Steve's wife) clean the barn,
build stuff....' One of Markeith's favorite activities
was shooting a potato cannon with Carroll. 'Then
at the Starfish picnic last spring, Steve helped
me get on a bull. It started walking off and I
stayed on it.'"
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'Guiding
Lights' Illuminate Our Purpose in Life
The Daily Astorian (Oregon), January 10, 2006
"Who
influenced you, and how do you pass that on? The
answers to those two questions reveal an often
unseen web of relationships and obligations that
binds people together, author and educator Eric
Liu said in Astoria Monday night. And mentoring
offers a way to turn the tide of a community-breakdown
trend affecting the entire nation, he said."
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Changing
a Life
The North Platte Telegraph
(Nebraska), January 7, 2006
"Many
people can recall a favorite teacher or other
adult who had a significant influence on their
childhood. Today, the need is greater than ever
for quality mentors to share their wisdom, experience
and compassion with kids. 'Anyone can be a mentor,'
said Karin Patterson, director of the TeamMates
Mentoring Program in North Platte. Patterson said
there seems to be a misconception among adults
that a mentor must have special training or a
college degree. 'It's just a matter of sharing
their experiences,' Patterson said. Sometimes
a listening ear is all a child needs."
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Mentoring
Programs Focus on Supporting Youth
Kerrville Daily Times (Texas), January 3, 2006
"At
first glance, they might appear to be unlikely
pairings. But those involved in these match-made
relationships vouch that despite their age differences,
they have become true friends. More than 100 relationships
of their kind exist across Kerr County. They are
friendships that were forged through local mentoring
programs, such as the Texas Hill Country Big Brothers
Big Sisters of Kerr County or Kerrville Independent
School District's mentoring programs, which all
pair adults and children in mentoring relationships."
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Mentoring
Turns Out to be 'a Really Good Thing to Do'
The Forum (North Dakota), December 28, 2005
"Mark
Berntson figured he had some extra time to give
when he settled into his job as a band teacher
in West Fargo. After seeing TV commercials about
the Big Brother Big Sister program, he called
to find out what it entailed. 'I just thought
it seemed like a really good thing to do,' said
Berntson, 37, who also is president of the West
Fargo Education Association. He ended up with
a perfect match."
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