EVERETT, Wash., Jan. 6, 2010 – The YMCA of Snohomish County and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Snohomish County are excited to share that January is now officially National Mentoring Month.
On Dec. 29 the U.S. Senate recognized January as National Mentoring Month 2010 with a resolution introduced by Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and John Kerry (D-MA).
And today, the White House released President Obama's proclamation stating that January is officially National Mentoring Month in America.
The proclamation, in part, reads: "Every day, mentors in communities across our Nation provide crucial support and guidance to young people. Whether a day is spent helping with homework, playing catch, or just listening, these moments can have an enormous, lasting effect on a child's life. During National Mentoring Month, we recognize those who give generously of themselves by mentoring young Americans.
"NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim January 2010 as National Mentoring Month. I call upon public officials, business and community leaders, educators, and Americans across the country to observe this month with appropriate ceremonies, activities, and programs."
This is the ninth annual National Mentoring Month, which was established to spotlight the importance of mentors and mentoring.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Snohomish County, a branch on the YMCA of Snohomish County, provides a valuable asset and a basic need to children and families in our community – caring adult mentors who are essential in helping children reach their highest potential. One-to-one mentoring benefits the entire community, providing resources for at-risk families, engaging a dedicated volunteer core, and empowering children to resist negative choices and mature into healthy, responsible citizens.
The YMCA Minority Achievers Program is a leadership program that focuses on college preparation and career exploration for students of color and immigrant students, ages 11-19. Through the mentoring of Adult Achievers, MAP students gain the necessary skills and attitudes to make positive life choices.
Both of these programs are completely dependent on contributed support and are always in need of volunteer mentors.
Here is what you can do this month:
§ Become a mentor in your community.
§ Learn more about mentoring
§ Partner with a mentoring organization
§ Tell 5 friends about national mentoring month.
§ Make a donation to a mentoring organization.
§ Thank a mentor that you had growing up.
To see the full Presidential Proclamation, go to www.nationalmentoringmonth.org/news_events/pressreleases/proclamation2010.
For more information on National Mentoring Month please visit: www.nationalmentoringmonth.org.
For more information on YMCA or BBBS programs please visit www.ymca-snoco.org or www.bbbs-snoco.org.
About YMCA of Snohomish County
For more than 108 years, the YMCA of Snohomish County has involved top community leaders and highly-trained professional staff to provide hundreds of different programs for people of all ages, especially children, youth and families. Each YMCA facility is a “hub” in the community providing safe environments, caring role models, and positive, productive activities. Today more than 81,000 people of all ages, races, faiths and economic backgrounds participate annually in activities at our six branch operations: Everett, Marysville, Mukilteo, Southeast/Mill Creek, Monroe, and Big Brothers Big Sisters. Activity areas include Youth Sports, Family Events, Swimming, Total Health, Summer Camp, Teen Programs, Child Care, and Mentoring. The YMCA is committed to building strong kids, strong families and strong communities and is united in sharing the values of caring, honesty, respect and responsibility. For more information please visit www.ymca-snoco.org.
About Big Brothers Big Sisters of Snohomish County
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Snohomish County, a branch of the YMCA of Snohomish County, is a volunteer-driven organization dedicated to matching children between the ages of 6 and 14 in a one-to-one mentoring relationship. As there are no costs to any participants, three annual fundraisers, Invest in Youth, Bowl For Kids Sake, and the Dreambuilder’s Auction, provide the financial support to recruit, screen and maintain these matches.
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