Say THANKS: Thursday is Thank Your Mentor Day
January 24, 2007, The Paper of Montgomery County (Indiana)

By BARRY LEWIS

Thursday is Thank You Mentor Day and the Youth Service Bureau's Juvenile Mentoring Program (JUMP) will honor those Montgomery County residents who are mentors.

JUMP coordinators Nancy Hartley and Jennifer Williams say this is one of the final touches on National Mentoring Month which is the entire month of January. However, the pair hope it's really just the beginning.

Currently the program has 26 adult mentors with another seven ready to go through a 4-hour training session. Despite those numbers there is still a waiting list of more than 35 children hoping for a mentor.

"We can never have too many mentors," Hartley said.

The program asks for interested individuals to be willing to commit one to two hours a week or eight hours a month to a child in a one-year commitment. The entire process to become an approved mentor takes about four to six weeks. First, interested individuals must fill out an application. That that is followed by reference checks, finger-printing ran through the FBI and a one-on-one interview with Hartley.

While Hartley is finding out everything the mentor is looking for in a child, Williams is in charge of going through a similar process with the children and their parents. Then Hartley and Williams get together and try to make a match.

"It's a long process, but it's essential to a good match," Hartley said.

According to Williams, there are six or seven matches who have been together for a year or more.

"And many times if our mentors lose a match, for any number of reasons, they take on another one," she said. "We have a very committed mentor base and we are very thankful for that."

So what does it take to be a successful mentor?

"A willingness to spend some quality time with a youth," Williams said. "Some of our mentors take their kids to ball game or out to do a special event every week. Others just have their kids come over for an hour or two to just hang out. I take mine grocery shopping. It's whatever you want it to be. Most of these kids just want some one-on-one time."

JUMP sponsors a monthly event where the mentors can bring their kids. Sometimes this may be bowling, movies or other social outings. Then once a year the group has a big outing. In the past they have gone to the Fair Oaks Dairy Farm and the Indianapolis Zoo. Also once a month, the mentors have a get-together where there is a meal, usually some type of training program and just a time to talk with other mentors.

"We don't want to match people up and just leave them on their own," Hartley said. "The mentors like the monthly get-together."

The JUMP program is open to all youth throughout the county ages 4 to 17.

The program is always looking for new mentors, and especially some from the county.

"It's tough matching people up who live 20 to 30 minutes away," Hartley said. "We would love for some more mentors from the county to come forward. That way if we get someone who lives in like Ladoga or Linden, we could match them up with a mentor from the same area."

Mentors can be any ages. Currently there are some who are in the early 20s and the oldest is an 82-year old man.

For more information about referrals contact Williams at 362-0694, ext. 12. For more information about becoming a mentor contact Hartley at 362-0694, ext. 15. Individuals may also stop by the Youth Service Bureau at 209 E. Pike St.