Sometimes, all a young person needs is encouragement to achieve his or her goals. This is especially true of students who want to go to college, but maybe are the first in their family to aspire to higher education. That’s when a mentor can make all the difference in the world.
College Bound Mesa, a nonprofit that helps students fulfill their dreams of a college education, needs mentors. After completing orientation and training, these volunteers meet with a student for two hours each month during the school year, help the student in setting and achieving personal goals, and assist the student with college readiness.
According to the ad on volunteermatch.org, “a mentor helps students connect the dots to their future.”
If you’d like to help, call (602) 550-3161 or email at liz.paulus@mesaunitedway.org. For more information on College Bound Mesa, visit http://www.collegeboundmesa.org.
• A Helping Hand is our weekly spotlight on a volunteer opportunity in the East Valley. To find more ways to help your community, visit www.volunteermatch.org.
Katydid52 posted at 9:37 pm on Sun, Oct 7, 2012.
Isn't it a sad reflection on where we are that someone outside your family has to help your children get to college.
When I was in high school in the 70s our Dads worked in factories and our Moms stayed home. They wanted more for us, so there was always talk of college after high school. Almost all the kids I went to school with went to college, because our parents expected it. The counselors at school told us what classes we needed to take, so we took them. We were very motivated to succeed. I guess that came from the work ethic we were taught through our parents.