College Mentors For Kids Inc

A phenomenal organization for college students looking to make a difference in a child's life! I truly enjoyed my time as a mentor. However, I was thoroughly disappointed by extremely condescending, rude and impatient staff from the national office in my college years.

Why This?
So many times (and for so many reasons) I am asked the question “Why.” At work, at home, in my professional circles, by co-workers, by friends, by my family. People ask why did you make that decision, why do you live in that area, why did you buy those tickets, why would you take that route, why did you choose to work there? It’s an incredibly powerful question, three simple letters that can reveal the inner workings of an otherwise mysterious person’s mind. A simple question that can open up an insight into the most complicated, seemingly incoherent, decisions. However, it is also a question that can be easily answered if the individual has convictions around the particular topic. And when I am asked why I give, or why I support, College Mentors for Kids, it is one of the easiest questions for me to answer.
I give because I believe in the cause. I believe that mentoring the youth of our country is one of the key solutions to generating positive outcomes for the greater community. I believe that college students, as exuberant, well intentioned, future leaders of their communities, are well positioned to provide that mentoring relationship.
College Mentors for Kids is an innovative mentoring program that connects college students with the neediest at-risk youth in our country, providing the youth with the positive, caring role model that they may be lacking. Due to its innovating model, the program creates these relationships for pennies on the dollar. And I give because of the wide variety of people that the program helps. Not only does the program aid the elementary school children, generating proven outcomes in several areas, it also benefits the college students who mentor the “little buddies.”
But first, the topic of the elementary school children. I give because of the infinite potential kids have if only nurtured and positioned correctly. I give because 80% of the kids in this program graduated from high school compared to 73% of their peers. I give because 75% of the College Mentors kids have gone on to achieve post-secondary education as compared to 51% of their peers. I give because 2/3 of these mentees go on to volunteer in their communities. The volunteer rate for young adults is 18.7%.
I give because of the impact the program had on me and all of the other college students who are involved with the program. The program instills an inherent sense of charity, compassion, and care for others in our community. It reveals the sides of society that, as a college student, I may have otherwise been unaware. I give because the only way to truly gain that perspective is by interacting in person, and I believe that to be valuable for all individuals.
As a society, we know that the cycle of poverty is a terrible institution, and incredibly difficult to change. We also know that in order to make large sweeping changes, money cannot make the difference, but that the culture must support the change. That, above all else, is why I give.. because mentoring works. It changes the story for the mentees, and empowers the mentors to make valuable decisions as they grow into future leaders.
I give because College Mentors changes the culture, and extrapolated out, can help change the world.


http://www.collegementors.org/