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Special Event at Library of Congress Kicks Off National Mentoring Summit

January 24, 2012

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT:
Ellen Christman
703-224-2255
echristman@mentoring.org

Members of Congress Attend to Show Support for Youth Mentoring

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The majestic Library of Congress (LOC), the world's largest library based on shelf space and number of books, served as the setting Monday night for the opening event of the second annual National Mentoring Summit.

The event, uniting national youth mentoring organizations, administration officials, civic leaders, corporate executives and the country's foremost mentoring researchers, opened with remarks from Wim Kooyker, the chairman of the board of MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership. "I have been in investment banking my whole life and often, people ask you for investment predictions. I am reticent to make them. But I can make one prediction with absolute certainty--- the single best investment you will ever make is the investment in another human being. Mentoring is that investment."

"An investment now, at this moment, in consistent, supportive relationships for this generation of young people means changing the future of our nation," Kooyker added.

Along with his remarks, Kooyker noted a recent study out of Minnesota, which found that for every $1 invested into mentoring, society receives a 250 percent return.

Backing Kooyker on the benefits of investing in mentoring programs, Head Librarian of the LOC, Dr. James Billington, told attendees of the work teens and high school students, and even small children, have already done and continue to do for the Library in conjunction with their local mentors.

In support of youth mentoring, Representative Betty McCollum (D-Minn.) also took the LOC stage, pointing out that mentoring programs are "the fabric of our communities," helping to make communities healthier, safer and more livable.

"The millions of individuals across the country who serve as mentors invest their time and energy to provide children with a supportive relationship," said Rep. McCollum. "With quality mentors on their side, young people are more likely to stay in school and to believe in themselves. This summit gives us the opportunity to emphasize the importance of mentoring in the lives of young people and to the future of our nation."

Recounting the event this morning, Rep. Susan Davis (D-Cali.) noted, "Last night, I was honored to speak at the National Mentoring Summit in Washington, DC. It's a great occasion to celebrate mentors and the hard work they do in enriching the lives of children and youth across the country. As a former director of a mentoring program in San Diego, I have had the opportunity to witness first-hand the positive impact of mentoring and am proud to celebrate National Mentoring Month this January to recognize the importance of mentoring and strengthening federal investments in bettering the lives of young people in America."

In addition to remarks made by the members of Congress, David Shapiro, CEO of MENTOR, announced that MENTOR, along with its board member Dr. Jean Rhodes, a pioneer in mentoring research, are working with the LOC on their Veteran's History Project, the next iteration. The Veteran's History Project (VHP) was created in 2000 by Congress with the goal of collecting oral histories, letters, photographs and other original materials from U.S. veterans. Volunteer interviewers have spoken with more than 75,000 veterans of World War I through current conflicts. All of the videotaped interviews and materials archived are available to the public at the LOC and through a searchable, online database. Documentary Filmmaker Ken Burns is the chairman of the VHP, and recently, Senator John Kerry expressed his great support of MENTOR's work to incorporate mentoring into the project.

Rhodes has piloted an initiative where mentors and mentees work together to carry out these interviews with veterans, offering an opportunity for skill building, historical learning and a powerful mutual experience. MENTOR will expand this pilot to more matches across the country, which will offer this generation a first-hand sense of the sacrifices and bravery of those who served our country and enrich the historical treasures left behind for future generations.

Another major announcement made by MENTOR CEO David Shapiro is the creation of an Illinois Mentoring Partnership. MENTOR, along with Founding Partners JP Morgan Chase, Accenture and X-FA, as well as business, civic and nonprofit leaders across Illinois, have provided the foundation for a sustainable and successful Illinois Mentoring Partnership. Already operational in 25 states nationwide, State Mentoring Partnerships help unify and build successful mentoring programs through proven standards, cutting-edge research and state-of-the-art tools, while also addressing challenges such as inconsistent quality among providers, inadequate funding for programs and a deficit of volunteers needed to serve to all youth. MENTOR is working with all the stakeholders above to bring this record of success to Illinois.

The National Mentoring Summit is being held Tuesday, January 24, and Wednesday, January 25, at The Fairmont in Washington, D.C. The Summit's presenting sponsor is Viacom. Bank of America and BNY Mellon are supporting sponsors for the events.

For more information or to attend, please contact Ellen Christman at (703)224-2255 or echristman@mentoring.org.

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About MENTOR

MENTOR is the lead champion for youth mentoring in the United States. MENTOR's goal is to help children by providing a public voice, developing and delivering resources to mentoring programs nationwide and promoting quality for mentoring through standards, cutting-edge research and state of the art tools. MENTOR works closely with State Mentoring Partnerships and volunteer centers throughout the country, serving more than 3 million children in all 50 states. There are currently 18 million children in the US who want and need a mentor but only three million have one. MENTOR's mission is to close that gap so that every one of those 15 million children has a caring adult in their life. Founded in 1990, MENTOR is headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia. For more information, visit: www.mentoring.org

About Big Brothers Big Sisters of America

For more than 100 years, Big Brothers Big Sisters has operated under the belief that inherent in every child is the ability to succeed and thrive in life. As the nation's largest donor and volunteer supported mentoring network, Big Brothers Big Sisters' mission is to provide children facing adversity with strong and enduring, professionally supported one-to-one relationships that change their lives for the better, forever.

Partnering with parents/guardians, schools, corporations and others in the community, Big Brothers Big Sisters carefully pairs children ("Littles") with screened volunteer mentors ("Bigs") and monitors and supports them in one-to-one mentoring matches throughout their course. The organization holds itself accountable for children in the program to achieve measurable outcomes, such as higher aspirations; greater confidence and better relationships; educational success; and avoidance of delinquency and other risky behaviors. Most children served by Big Brothers Big Sisters are in single-parent and low-income families or households where a parent is incarcerated. Headquartered in Philadelphia with a network of about 370 agencies across the country, Big Brothers Big Sisters serves nearly 250,000 children.

About CNCS

The Corporation for National and Community Service is a Federal agency with the mission to improve lives, strengthen communities, and foster civic engagement through service and volunteering. Last year, the agency engaged more than 5.5 million Americans in results-driven service through its Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and Learn and Serve America programs. For more information, visit NationalService.gov.

About The Harvard Mentoring Project

The Harvard Mentoring Project (HMP) of the Harvard School of Public Health was launched in 1997 to mobilize the national media and leading Hollywood studios to promote the growth of the mentoring as a public health intervention of proven effectiveness for positive youth development. HMP is an initiative of the School's Center for Health Communication, which is dedicated to promoting the adoption of healthy behaviors through mass communication. The Harvard Mentoring School of Public Health and MENTOR created and spearheaded the first-ever National Mentoring Month in January 2002. For more information, visit WhoMentoredYou.org.

About the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) provides national leadership, coordination, and resources to prevent and respond to juvenile delinquency and victimization. OJJDP supports states and communities in their efforts to develop and implement effective and coordinated prevention and intervention programs and to improve the juvenile justice system so that it protects public safety, holds offenders accountable, and provides treatment and rehabilitative services tailored to the needs of juveniles and their families. For more information about OJJDP, visit www.ojjdp.gov

About United Way USA

United Way USA is comprised of more than 1,200 community-based United Ways in the U.S., and it is part of United Way Worldwide, a network of nearly 1,800 United Ways in 40 countries and territories. It advances the common good, creating opportunities for a better life for all, by focusing on education, income and health – the building blocks for a good quality of life. United Way recruits the people and organizations from all across the community who bring the passion, expertise and resources needed to get things done. LIVE UNITED is a call to action for everyone to become part of the change. For more information, please visit: www.LIVEUNITED.org

About National Mentoring Month

National Mentoring Month is a national campaign to recruit volunteer mentors, spearheaded by The Harvard Mentoring Project of the Harvard School of Public Health, MENTOR and the Corporation for National and Community Service. Held each January, the campaign highlights the crucial role played by mentors in helping young people achieve their potential. The campaign's goals are to mobilize larger numbers of community volunteers to serve as mentors to young people and to promote awareness of the power of mentoring to enhance a young person's prospects for leading a healthy and productive life. Research shows that mentoring programs have beneficial and long-term effects, increasing the rate of high school graduation and college attendance and decreasing the likelihood of substance abuse and other risky behaviors. For more information about National Mentoring Month, visit www.nationalmentoringmonth.org.

Issues:Education