[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 10 (Thursday, January 16, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Pages S457-S458]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        NATIONAL MENTORING MONTH

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 335.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 335) designating January 2014 as 
     ``National Mentoring Month.''

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, I wish to speak for just a minute in 
honor of National Mentoring Month. Senator Isakson and I have submitted 
a Senate resolution to pay tribute to the millions of men and women 
whose lives are enriched every day by mentoring in our country. I know 
we are going to get right back on the discussion on the Appropriations 
bill, but I want to take just a point of personal privilege for 2 or 3 
minutes to talk about the fact that this is the 13th anniversary of 
National Mentoring Month, and today is Thank Your Mentor Day. With 
heartfelt gratitude, I would like to thank all of the mentors who serve 
in communities across Louisiana and all those who serve across the 
nation.
  I wish to acknowledge and I am very grateful to the following 
Senators: Senator Baldwin, Senator Brown, Senator Carper, Senator 
Cochran, Senator Durbin, Senator Gillibrand, Senator Klobuchar, Senator 
Mikulski, Senator Murray, Senator Rubio, Senator Schumer, Senator 
Scott, Senator Warren, and Senator Wyden, who cosponsored our mentor 
resolution and have been real leaders in the mentorship movement.
  In situations in which a young person is missing a caring, consistent 
presence, there is one simple intervention that can make all the 
difference: a good mentor. Research shows that mentoring improves 
academic achievement, self-esteem, social skills, and career 
development in children.
  The U.S. has strong mentoring programs, but more are needed. More 
than 4.5 million young people in the U.S. are in formal mentoring 
relationships; however, there are a growing number of young people who 
need mentors but do not have them. More than one in three young people, 
about 16 million Americans, are in need of a mentor. More than half of 
those who are without a mentor are at-risk youth. There is a particular 
need for an increase in mentors for foster youth who perhaps more than 
anyone else could benefit from a steady, dependable mentor. Because 
foster youth tend to move from home to home and school to school, they 
often lack the consistent academic guidance and emotional support they 
need to succeed. We need more caring mentors for these at-risk youth.
  We can all identify hundreds of young people or people of all 
different ages who are stepping up and doing an act of support and 
mentoring for a young person and who is making a real difference in 
their lives.
  I wish to just point out four in Louisiana today.
  One, as shown in this picture, is Lorita. She is serving 20 hours a 
week as a foster grandparent, working with special needs children at 
the James Ward Elementary School in Lake Charles, LA.
  With Lorita's loving guidance, her student mentee went from a 47-
percent skill mastery in math to 80 percent. That is a pretty 
significant jump. That is a life-changing improvement for that child 
and opens a real opportunity for future mentorship work.
  One of my favorite mentor programs is the National Guard Youth 
ChalleNGe Program, which started in Louisiana in 1993. The program 
opens its doors to young people between the ages of 16 and 18 who have 
dropped out of school, in many instances have dropped out of their 
families. Their families have given up on them and they have given up 
on their families and in many instances they are headed nowhere but to 
either prison or to a homeless shelter or worse.
  Our National Guard steps up and helps; doing all the amazing things 
our National Guard does here at home in

[[Page S458]]

peacetime and in war, they have also mentored over 15,000 young people 
in Louisiana in the last 20 years. We graduate from our three programs 
in Louisiana about 1,400 kids a year, each one with a mentor.
  So I wish to give a shout out to the National Guard and the National 
Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program.
  Of course, a program we all support on both sides of the aisle is Big 
Brothers Big Sisters. There are three Big Brothers Big Sisters 
agencies, serving 871 at-risk youth in the State of Louisiana.
  These are youth who include children of single parent families, those 
with a parent who currently may be incarcerated or children who have 
been involved in the juvenile justice system. We have a wonderful Big 
Brother Big Sister mentor here. Urmie is an outstanding Big Sister 
serving in Jennings, LA, who proudly says her most rewarding aspect of 
serving as a mentor is: Knowing I am making a difference in a young 
person's life.
  Finally, our Big Buddy Program. Big Buddy is a leading community 
program in Baton Rouge, LA. It is national as well, supported broadly 
by Members of Congress and local officials. We in our program serve 700 
disadvantaged youth each week.
  One of their most dedicated mentors, John, has served since 2008 and 
is a product of mentoring.
  John's father wasn't a presence in his life, so by his own admission, 
he lacked guidance growing up. However, he was blessed with some caring 
adults--his coach, teacher, and pastor--who stepped in to make sure he 
did not fall through the cracks.
  Once into adulthood and established in his career, John felt the need 
to reconnect and give back to children who face adversity. John is now 
the proud mentor of two mentees: Bobby and Charles.
  I encourage all Americans to seek out opportunities in their 
community to serve as a mentor, and I urge the public and private 
sectors to come together and create partnerships to close the mentoring 
gap.
  With an increase in dedicated mentors like Lorita, Michael, Urmie, 
and John we can ensure that more young Americans are better prepared 
for school, work, and life.
  Once again, please join me in celebrating January 2014 as National 
Mentoring Month and in honoring the millions of Americans who guide our 
youngest citizens towards achieving their dreams.
  Now I am going to end. But I do want to particularly say how proud I 
am of the Million Women Mentors which I find very exciting as a woman 
leader. I know the Presiding Officer will be thrilled to see the number 
of extraordinary businesses and organizations that are trying to 
identify 1 million mentors for girls in America to go into the field of 
science, technology, engineering, and math, which is a game changer for 
little girls and young women to think about careers such as science, 
technology, engineering, and math. There is often a need in our country 
for that skilled labor, so mentors are stepping up and filling in the 
gap.
  I want everyone to be proud that today is a celebration of mentorship 
month. I thank Senator Isakson for joining me in supporting this 
effort.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution 
be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motions to reconsider 
be considered made and laid upon the table, with no intervening action 
or debate.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 335) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  (The resolution, with its preamble, is printed in today's Record 
under ``Submitted Resolutions.'')

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