Submitted by Ray Galloway
(May 15, 2024) — There is still time for volunteers to join the Haddam-Killingworth Mentoring Program, but the deadline is approaching.
The value of the Mentoring Program is perhaps best captured by the comments from current mentees such as these:
“I can’t believe that I know how to play chess now, and I can beat you!”
“Tuesday is my favorite day because I see my mentor!”
The Program, sponsored by Haddam-Killingworth Youth and Family Services, is committed to providing children from our communities with an opportunity to benefit from a mentoring experience.
We are now looking forward to adding volunteer mentors to the roster of current mentors so that required preparations can be completed before school begins in August. A Mentor is a role model, a friend, a listener, and a confidant.
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 for an hour each week during the school year and in the school setting.
Children who participate in formalized mentoring programs can:
- Show improved school attendance;
- Show improved self-esteem;
- Show improved school engagement;
- Be less likely to start using illegal drugs and alcohol;
- Show improved relationships with adults;
- Improve their school performance;
- Show increased participation in extra-curricular activities;
- Experience higher graduation rates and be more likely to enroll in post-secondary education programs.
If you have an interest in learning more about the HK Mentoring Program and possibly applying to become a mentor, please email Patty Coletti, Program Coordinator, at: mentorprogram@hkyfs or call 860-345-7498. She is convening informational meetings for prospective mentors during May, June and July at a time/place to be determined. Training for new mentors is being planned for late August 2024.
You, too, can make a difference in the life of a child!
[…] Deadline Nears for Joining Haddam-Killingworth Mentoring Program […]