(NAPSI)—Helping to turn a young life around may be simpler than many people realize.
That’s because you can volunteer to be a mentor, share your life with a child and make a real difference. Children need someone to look up to, someone to whom they can confide their challenges and struggles.
Why Be A Mentor
Consider the statistics. On the one hand, one in four public high school children drop out before finishing school. On the other, young adults who were at-risk for falling off track but had a mentor are 55 percent more likely to enroll in college.
Yet, “by some estimates,” reports Dr. Phillip Levine, Professor of Economics at Wellesley College, “as many as nine million children have no caring adults in their lives.”
By volunteering, you can be that role model. Your personal involvement, your love and care, can be the greatest gifts you can give a child.
How to Be A Mentor
Mentoring is the heart and soul of all the programs at Kars4Kids, a registered nonprofit Jewish organization which, together with Oorah, its sister charity—and over 1,650 volunteer mentors—helps thousands of children develop into productive members of the community.
“With the help of experienced outreach counselors, available at any time for consultation and advice, mentors keep in close contact with their mentees, developing a relationship that lasts for years. They often become friends of the child’s whole family,” said Wendy Kirwan, Director of Marketing and Public Relations for Kars4Kids. Its “unique and inclusive year-round model helps kids with camp in the summer, after-school programs during the school year, and holiday packages and events, reaching out to families with support, guidance and tools to build a meaningful and wholesome family life,” she adds.
Summer and afterschool hours present excellent opportunities for developing life skills that are the foundation for a child’s future. By mentoring a child, you can help to instill universal values, stimulate the development of interpersonal competencies and bring out latent talents, interests and strengths.
Where To Learn More
To sign up and for more information, go to: www.kars4kidsprograms.org/act-now/mentor.asp.