Orange County Youth Motivation Task Force Inc

One of my colleagues introduced me to this incredible organization a couple of years ago. Because I have always enjoyed high school/ youth students, I was eager to volunteer if I could fit it into my work schedule. The first time, I went, I was paired up with an experienced volunteer, and we stepped into a classroom to tell our story, how we got to where we are, and encouraged the kids to finish high school, and set their goals high, dream big, and know that it's okay if they change their minds along the way. Even though I couldn't relate to their background, because many of the students are living in socio-economically challenged areas, they still connected to my story of failing and making mistakes along the way, but ultimately being able to arrive in a career field where I am happy and fulfilled. I strongly encourage anyone in any field to come back and serve their community in this rewarding way.

I've been associated with YMTF for 25 years. I know of no other program that so effectively informs high school students about the importance of education. We're a partnership with the schools, utilizing the experience of the schools to identify classes and schools that most need to hear our message. As a member of the board, our main goal is to line up schools for our visits and then to recruit volunteers to go into the classroom to talk about their jobs, their life styles, and, most importantly, the role that education has had on their life. We provide the volunteers with cost-of-living information. When shown these data the students are enthusiastic about our message. It's not uncommon to have a student tell us that they had not realized how expensive it was going to be living on their own. Some make a dramatic turn around in their academic career. Using funds from our volunteers and the corporations that they work for, we offer scholarships. Our scholarships are different from most others in that we seek out students that have made that dramatic turn around in their grades. Many who receive our scholarship would not be eligible for any scholarship for college. All-in-all the effort we and our volunteers put in is very rewarding and satisfying.