Submitted by Ray Galloway
(April 15, 2024) — As we start to enjoy Spring and the warmer season, we expect many of you may be looking for opportunities to support your community, your neighbors and especially, our children. If this goal seems to match your aspirations, then you may want to consider becoming a Mentor for a student. Perhaps you have considered becoming a Mentor for a child in our community but for whatever reason, you have not acted upon your thought. Please read further for some added encouragement to follow up on your idea.
Children who participate in formalized mentoring programs may:
- 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.
As a Mentor, you can have a positive impact on a child in your community. 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.
If you have an interest in learning more about the HKYFS 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 April, May and June at a time/place to be determined.
Training for new mentors is being planned for late August, 2024. We are asking you, as a responsible adult member of the community, to consider becoming a mentor for a child starting in September 2024.
ATTENTION: There is presently an increased need for male mentors; several male students are waiting for a mentor. You can make a difference in the life of a child!
