[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 9 (Thursday, January 15, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E101]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    SUPPORTING THE GOALS AND IDEALS OF NATIONAL MENTORING MONTH 2009

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. BETTY McCOLLUM

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, January 13, 2009

  Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, as a Co-chair of the Congressional 
Mentoring Caucus, I rise today in strong support of H. Res. 41, 
supporting the goals and ideals of National Mentoring Month.
  A mentor by definition means a trusted friend or guide. Mentoring 
relationships between adults and youths are very important, especially 
because of the focus on the needs of our young people. Caring parents, 
teachers, counselors, and religious leaders are all mentors, and are in 
a position to positively influence a child's present and future.
  We all have an important role to play in improving the lives of 
children in our communities--after all, it takes a village. Our youth 
are yearning for guidance and direction from caring adults and 
mentoring enables everyday Americans to make a difference and help 
children grow up to become responsible and productive citizens and meet 
their full potential. A study by Big Brothers Big Sisters showed 
mentored youth are 46 percent less likely to begin using illegal drugs, 
53 percent less likely to skip school, and 33 percent less likely to 
get in fights.
  National Mentoring Month was conceived as a means to recruit mentors 
and help close the mentoring gap. Last year, more than 375,000 
individuals sought information about local mentoring programs that need 
more volunteers.
  I am proud to announce Joellen Gonder-Spacek, executive director of 
the Mentoring Partnership of Minnesota, MPM, has been honored with the 
Manza Excellence in Leadership Award by MENTOR/National Mentoring 
Partnership. She was recognized for her leadership and commitment to 
service through MPM's community initiative to promote mentoring for at 
risk youth in Minnesota. This program has made significant improvements 
in the lives of children and, over the past 14 years, MPM has become a 
mentoring leader in the State and the Nation.
  I encourage all of my colleagues to support this resolution and to 
look for opportunities to be mentors as well.

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