CREATE A FUTURE. BE A MENTOR.

Youth mentoring is a sound business decision. Thousands of companies and individuals across Connecticut and America invest in mentoring as a means of providing a positive influence on young peoples’ lives and their communities.

Chip Janiszewski, a Senior Manager of Send-Out Cards in Avon, has been mentoring a student at Sedgwick Middle School in West Hartford. Chip says, “If you are thinking about becoming a mentor, I would simply say ‘Just do it!’ A school-business mentoring alliance builds a link between students and adults to help develop the skills and relationships that will aid in future community growth – it is an extremely rewarding experience for both student and mentor…”

Each year National Mentoring Month spotlights the importance of mentors, and the need for every student to have a caring adult in his or her life. Concurrent with the celebration of National Mentoring Month, the West Hartford Public School System is launching a recruitment campaign called 30 Mentors in 30 Days. The January month-long campaign will focus on the need for community involvement in youth mentoring and how each of us - individuals, businesses, schools and other organizations - can work together to increase the number of mentors and assure brighter futures for our young people.

The West Hartford Public Schools Mentor Program is actively promoting mentoring within all of our schools, grades K through 12. Our mission is to allow students the opportunity to reach their potential by offering guidance, encouragement and support through partnerships with caring adults.

The Mentor Program began over six years ago as a partnership between the West Hartford Chamber of Commerce and the West Hartford Public Schools. “Today, we have nearly 100 mentor/mentee relationships in our program,” says Carol Wilkas, School Business Community Partnership Coordinator. “However,” Carol adds, “the need for every student to have a positive, caring adult in his or her life continues to grow.”

Are you willing to commit one hour per week during the school year to mentor? That’s only 24 hours (one day) per year! You don’t need any special skills to be a mentor, just a willingness to listen and be a friend to a young person. You will not only be amazed at how much you have to offer but how much you, too, will benefit from the mentoring experience. Be counted as one of the 30 Mentors in 30 Days during National Mentoring Month!

To learn more about the different ways in which you or your business can become involved in such a worthwhile program, call Carol Wilkas at (860) 231-6009.