[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 185 (Wednesday, December 10, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Page S10883]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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SENATE RESOLUTION 728--DESIGNATING JANUARY 2009 AS ``NATIONAL MENTORING 
                                MONTH''

  Mr. KENNEDY (for himself, Mr. McCain, Mr. Akaka, Mr. Specter, Mrs. 
Lincoln, Ms. Landrieu, Mr. Lieberman, Mr. Kerry, Mr. Leahy, Mr. 
Lautenberg, Mr. Feingold, Mr. Bayh, Mrs. Clinton, Ms. Collins, Mr. 
Levin, Mr. Sanders, Mr. Ensign, and Mr. Pryor) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary:

                              S. Res. 728

       Whereas mentoring is a longstanding tradition in which a 
     dependable, caring adult provides guidance, support, and 
     encouragement to facilitate a young person's social, 
     emotional, and cognitive development;
       Whereas continued research on mentoring shows that formal, 
     high-quality mentoring focused on developing the competence 
     and character of the mentee promotes positive outcomes, such 
     as improved academic achievement, self-esteem, social skills, 
     and career development;
       Whereas further research on mentoring provides strong 
     evidence that mentoring successfully reduces substance use 
     and abuse, academic failure, and delinquency;
       Whereas mentoring, in addition to preparing young people 
     for school, work, and life, is extremely rewarding for those 
     serving as mentors;
       Whereas more than 4,200 mentoring programs in communities 
     of all sizes across the United States focus on building 
     strong, effective relationships between mentors and mentees;
       Whereas approximately 3,000,000 young people in the United 
     States are in solid mentoring relationships due to the 
     remarkable vigor, creativity, and resourcefulness of the 
     thousands of mentoring programs in communities throughout the 
     Nation;
       Whereas, in spite of the progress made to increase 
     mentoring, the Nation has a serious ``mentoring gap'', with 
     nearly 15,000,000 young people in need of mentors;
       Whereas mentoring partnerships between the public and 
     private sectors bring State and local leaders together to 
     support mentoring programs by preventing duplication of 
     efforts, offering training in industry best practices, and 
     making the most of limited resources to benefit young people 
     in the United States;
       Whereas the designation of January 2009 as National 
     Mentoring Month will help call attention to the critical role 
     mentors play in helping young people realize their potential;
       Whereas a month-long celebration of mentoring will 
     encourage more individuals and organizations, including 
     schools, businesses, nonprofit organizations, faith 
     institutions, and foundations, to become engaged in mentoring 
     across the United States; and
       Whereas National Mentoring Month will, most significantly, 
     build awareness of mentoring and encourage more people to 
     become mentors and help close the mentoring gap in the United 
     States: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) designates the month of January 2009 as ``National 
     Mentoring Month'';
       (2) recognizes with gratitude the contributions of the 
     millions of caring adults and students who are already 
     volunteering as mentors and encourages more adults and 
     students to volunteer as mentors; and
       (3) encourages the people of the United States to observe 
     National Mentoring Month with appropriate ceremonies and 
     activities that promote awareness of, and volunteer 
     involvement with, youth mentoring.

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I am honored to join Senator Kennedy and 
others to submit S. Res. 728, which designates January 2009 as National 
Mentoring Month. Mentoring a child is a uniquely rewarding experience 
for both the mentor and the child. Research continues to support that 
building these positive relationships helps keep children off of drugs, 
in school and off the streets, and out of trouble.
  This month, I brought the Senate Judiciary Committee to St. Albans, 
VT, for a field hearing about ``Community-Based Solutions to Drug-
Related Crime in Rural America.'' Community leaders and law enforcement 
officials testified about their efforts to address crime. They are on 
the front lines fighting crime each and every day. I have always said 
that solving these problems as they arise is essential, but preventing 
them is even better. One solution that Vermont's businesses, schools, 
college students, and retired people have continued to recognize is 
that mentoring connects our community to our children.
  Vermont's mentoring programs stretch the length of our great State, 
from the Northeast Kingdom to Bennington. Whether it is the Boys and 
Girls Clubs offering healthy alternatives for young people, or 
organizations such as DREAM, which connects college students and 
children living in subsidized housing developments, or any of the 
several mentoring programs in the State, these organizations and the 
dedicated people who operate and participate in them deserve our 
special thanks. I applaud all the work mentoring programs are doing to 
help our Nation's children become productive, law-abiding teenagers and 
contributing adults. Recognizing those efforts during National 
Mentoring Month is just one way we give our thanks.




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