Submitted by Ray Galloway
(January 10, 2025) — As we close 2024 and begin to transition to the new year, there is the need for many of us to reassess our goals. In the event you are taking part in this process, perhaps you would like to consider becoming a Mentor for the HK Mentoring Program (HKMP) as a goal for 2025.
The HKMP recently started its fourth year. Students and Mentors participating in the program either renewed or began their friendships when the program resumed in September. Considering the great beginning to the school year, we are looking forward to a year of developing meaningful relationships. We invite you to join us and to share the experience.
A Mentor is a role model, a friend, a listener, and a confidant. Available research has shown that children who participate in formalized mentoring programs can show improved school attendance, improved self-esteem, improved school engagement, as well as, to be less likely to start using illegal drugs and alcohol. Children selected for the program are matched with an adult mentor who has received training and has agreed to a formalized background check. Children meet with their mentors during the school year and in the school setting.
If you would like to become a participant in a program that will make a positive difference in the life of a child, please consider becoming a mentor for a student here in Haddam/Killingworth. We have students who are hoping that adults in our community will have time, an hour per week, to be their adult friend and to support them as they face the challenges of growing up.
If you have an interest in learning more about the HK Mentoring Program, and possibly in applying to become a mentor, please contact Patty Coletti, Program Coordinator, at: mentorprogram@hkyfs.org or call 860-345-7498. She is convening informational meetings for prospective mentors during the coming weeks. Training for new mentors is planned for later in January 2025.
You, too, can make a difference in the life of a child!
