2010 Michigan Mentoring Month

My name is Betsy Knoll and I represent the 4-H Mentor Michigan Initiative. This initiative focuses on the expansion and strengthening of mentoring programs in targeted Michigan communities.  This year the project has enlisted 80 full-time AmeriCorps members statewide to serve with Michigan State University Extension (MSUE) 4-H staff and the other community-based youth mentoring programs to recruit 2,000 potential volunteers to serve as mentors. Members assist in training and matching 825 volunteers statewide to build the capacity of each community to establish one-to-one or small group mentoring programs.  As a result of these efforts nearly 1,650 low-income, at-risk, or underserved youth, age 5 to 19 years old, will participate in on-going mentoring relationships.

The host site where I am serving at is Journey 4-H Youth Mentoring of Ottawa County MSUE. The Journey 4-H Youth Mentoring program pairs youth in Ottawa County with positive adult role models in an effort to reduce the frequency and severity of delinquent behavior. The success of the program is in large part due to the strong partnership between Michigan State University Extension and 20th Circuit Court Family Division Juvenile Services. I am in my second year of service, and I have the privilege of serving with two other AmeriCorps members at MSUE, Barb Brow and Jeff Walker.

Currently, both in Ottawa County and statewide, mentoring programs are preparing for the 2010 Michigan Mentoring Month coming up in January. Michigan Mentoring Month is an opportunity for mentoring programs to raise awareness of the need for mentors. This is done in a variety of ways, such as service projects and recruitment presentations both on a local and state level. Some examples are Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service on January 18^th, where mentoring programs are encouraged to plan a project for their mentors and mentees or encourage them to volunteer in their community. Also, Thank Your Mentor Day on January 21^st is an opportunity to encourage mentees to show their mentors how much they’ve impacted their lives.

Michigan Mentoring Month also is a great opportunity for recognition of mentors and mentoring supporters. In Ottawa County, we are in the planning stages for our 4^th Annual Magic of Mentoring Celebration. This activity is our way to say a big “thank you” to those people who make mentoring in Ottawa County possible. We have some great entertainment lined up for this year, as well as many mentors, mentees, and community partners that we are looking forward to honoring that evening.

Is your New Year’s resolution to volunteer? Maybe it could be! Find a mentoring program near you by visiting www.mentormichigan.org and clicking on “Become a Mentor.”