January is National Mentoring month; a month in which to thank those who mentored us and to think about who we can mentor.  Mentors do not need to be famous, they do not need to be rich, they do not need to be an expert and they do not need to be anything, but someone who believes in another person and encourages and inspires them to look to the future.  

 

As a mentor, you are the difference that inspires others.  Be the person, you needed as a youth to help guide you in your life choices.  A mentor helps expand ideas about who a person can be and what they can accomplish throughout a lifetime.  Mentoring can have a ripple effect on others, just like a stone that is thrown into water, the ripples affect others around you and can have a positive impact on everyone.  

 

Research shows that mentors can play a powerful role in providing young people with the tools to make responsible choices, attend and engage in school, and reduce or avoid risky behavior like drug use.  In turn, these young people are:

 

• 55% more likely to be enrolled in college.

 

• 81% more likely to report participating regularly in sports or extracurricular activities.

 

• 78% more likely to volunteer regularly in their communities.

 

• More than twice as likely to say they held a leadership position in a club or sports team.

 

This year Catholic Charities Central MN Foster Grandparent Program is celebrating the mentoring movement and expanding quality mentoring opportunities to connect more of our community’s young people with caring adults.

 

National Mentoring Month each January allows for unique engagement from community members interested in becoming a mentor.  This year, with the support of the mentoring community, we are encouraging you to go beyond just digital engagement – and become involved in making a real life impact.  Mentoring relationships are at their best when connections are made between a caring adult and a young person who knows that someone is there to help guide them through those real life decisions.

 

Foster Grandparents spend time each week helping children in schools, early education programs, residential facilities, and other nonprofit agencies.  Through their service, the foster grandparents create relationships with and become role models for children who need such constructive relationships the most.  

 

Senior Corps, which is under the direction of the Corporation for National & Community Service, consists of the Foster Grandparent Program, the Senior Companion Program, and the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program.  The Central Minnesota Foster Grandparent Program is sponsored by Catholic Charities of the Diocese of St. Cloud.  For information on the Foster Grandparent Program, or becoming a foster grandparent, please contact Pat at 612-390-0617 or pbraun@ccstcloud.org.