January kicks off National Mentor Month with a proclamation from a White House official offering encouragement and support for mentoring programs that “help young people see strengths in themselves.”
Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Luis Obispo County will join agencies across California to celebrating National Mentoring Month by launching the “Man Up Campaign.” Man Up challenges men to strengthen their community by providing boys with long-term, quality role models, proven to help vulnerable youth succeed.
“Countywide 56% of our clients are boys, ready to experience the friendship of a male mentor, while only 41% of our volunteers are men,” says Sarah Rudd, the local agency’s program director. “We are hopeful that this campaign will help close the gap through donor and male volunteer recruitment efforts.”
As stated during the presidential proclamation, “a supportive mentor can mean the difference between struggle and success. As we mark this important occasion, [we] encourage all Americans to spend time as a mentor and help lift our next generation toward their hopes and dreams.”
For more information on volunteering or contributing to Big Brothers Big Sisters, call 781-3226, or log onto www.slobigs.org.