Jennifer Ramirez
Jennifer and her mentee celebrated a year together last November, and have experienced many wonderful and fun things together. At the start of their first meeting, Jennifer’s mentee was very quiet, kept to herself, and found it difficult to trust. She needed help developing a positive self-image and requested guidance academically.
By combining work with play, Jennifer guides her mentee towards accomplishing the goals they set: to open up with others and perform better at school. Her mentee’s improvement has not only been apparent to Jennifer, but also to her teacher and school; she was awarded January Student of the Month at her school!
Jennifer reminds her mentee that she is a constant support and is there to give her advice, no matter what the topic is. Their discussions have been as silly as getting braces, to more serious discussions about relationships, family, school, and tolerance. Jennifer has been instrumental in easing her mentee’s fears about the upcoming transition to junior high by sharing about her own experiences and memories of that time of her life.
Jennifer has created an amazing and welcoming environment for her mentee and has become one of the few people in her mentee’s life that she truly trusts...and we all know how much this means! We really appreciate all that you do Jennifer! Thank you for being such a great mentor!
Friday, April 1, 2011
Gang Awareness Training
Wednesday, April 27th
6 to 7:30 pm
1111 Garden Street
RSVP to your case manager
by Monday, April 25th
Join Ed Cue, a knowledgeable resource on local gangs, as he walks us through a cultural understanding of gangs, their impact on the neighborhoods, and how you can be a positive influence in your mentee's life so they do not feel the need to personally get caught up in gangs.
Some youth join gangs because they desire to feel like they belong, to feel like their skills and talents are appreciated. You, as a mentor, can be the person who helps a youth develop their skills in a positive way. You can tell them how much you care about them and who they become. You can be the voice that pops into their head when they think about whether or not something is right or wrong. You can take away the appeal of a gang.
Join us for this informative and engaging workshop. If you have questions you would like Ed to answer, please inform your case manager.
Light snacks and refreshments will be available courtesy of the Mentor Program.
6 to 7:30 pm
1111 Garden Street
RSVP to your case manager
by Monday, April 25th
Some youth join gangs because they desire to feel like they belong, to feel like their skills and talents are appreciated. You, as a mentor, can be the person who helps a youth develop their skills in a positive way. You can tell them how much you care about them and who they become. You can be the voice that pops into their head when they think about whether or not something is right or wrong. You can take away the appeal of a gang.
Join us for this informative and engaging workshop. If you have questions you would like Ed to answer, please inform your case manager.
Light snacks and refreshments will be available courtesy of the Mentor Program.
Soccer time @ Boys & Girls Clubs
Click for an membership application to the Carpinteria, Downtown (Eastside) Club, Goleta, or Westside Clubhouse.
As a mentee, they are eligible for FREE memberships to the clubs and scholarships for the soccer seasons. Call to find out more information:
Carpinteria: (805) 684-1568
Downtown: (805) 962-2382
Goleta: (805) 967-1612
Westside: (805) 966-2811
Monday, March 14, 2011
Mentor Round-Up: Recruitment Event
Mission: Have friends, family, co-workers, etc. become a mentor to one of the kids on our waitlist.
Time period: March 1, 2011 to May 31, 2011
Rules for winning $200 to Ruth’s Chris:
One person you’ve recruited who is MATCHED with a mentee = ONE point. Most points before May 31st wins the $200 gift certificate. Simple.
BONUS: If your recruit calls in to the Mission for Mentors Telethon on April 6th b/w 5 & 8 pm, pledges their time, mentions your name, and gets matched before May 31st you get TWO points for that recruit.
We know this isn’t about the yummy food (though it doesn’t hurt); it’s about helping our kids. The more kids we help, the closer we are to reaching our Grant goals. The closer we are to reaching our goals, the more secure our funding is to continue the program and help even more kids. So start spreading the word that we have over 80 kids on our waitlist, and they are all eager to have a mentor. And no, these kids aren’t scary. They’re kids. They want someone to play with them, care about them, help them understand why 6 times 6 is 36, and why “they’re” and “their” mean two totally different things.
We are more than happy to come and give presentations about mentoring at your Workplace, Service Organization, HOA meeting, Sports practice, etc. There are so many people out there who are willing to give their time to a child. Help us find them.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Race to Nowhere: Showing at San Marcos
Featuring the heartbreaking stories of young people in all types of communities who have been pushed to the brink, educators who are burned out and worried that students aren’t developing the skills they need, and parents who are trying to do what’s best for their kids, Race to Nowhere points to the silent epidemic in our schools: Cheating has become commonplace; students are disengaged; stress-related illness and depression are rampant; and many young people arrive at college and the workplace unprepared and uninspired.
Vicki Abeles, a first-time filmmaker, was inspired to make Race to Nowhere out of concern for her children. A mother of three and former Wall Street attorney, Abeles awakened to this crisis as her 12-year-old daughter was being treated for stress-related illness. She saw personally how the pressures were overwhelming not only to her own kids, but to students everywhere — in every kind of school environment and community.
“As a mother, I experienced the stress firsthand and realized that no one was talking about it,” Abeles said. “I saw kids who were anxious, depressed, physically ill, checking out, abusing drugs and, worst case, attempting suicide. I felt compelled to speak out about this crisis by making a film and giving voice to the students, teachers and parents. I wanted to expose a deeper truth about our education system. We are graduating a generation of robo-students, unable to think and work independently, creatively and collaboratively.”
Race to Nowhere is a call to action to challenge assumptions on how to best prepare the youth of America to become healthy, bright, contributing and leading citizens. After seeing the film, your views on education and childhood will forever be changed.
“Every once in awhile, a film comes along that has the potential to change the culture,” New York Times bestselling author Rachel Simmons said. “Race to Nowhere shines a light on the crisis of learning and meaning facing American education. The film is both a call to arms and a beacon of hope, a source of relief and outrage and a way forward for all of us.”
~ Josh Baran represents the film Race to Nowhere.
To purchase tickets for you and your mentee, please visit: http://rtnsanmarcos.eventbrite.com/
Please save your receipt and submit it to your Case Manager for reimbursement.
Friday, February 25, 2011
February Mentor of the Month
Janet and her mentee have been together for over a year and have already become good friends. The mentee looks up to Janet in many ways and Janet often treats her mentee like a younger sister. Janet works for a local radio station and there are often promotional items that the station wants to throw away. Instead, Janet has found that she can bring those items to the school for use, rather than see them go to waste. For instance, she had hundreds of blank music sheet notes bound in a cover depicting “The Last Song”. She brought them to the music teacher at Canalino and they were able to use the paper if nothing else.
Beyond this, Janet has devoted her academic time with her mentee to focusing on her math. She dedicates an extra hour every week to sit with her in math class and provide her mentee with the attention she needs to focus and complete her math with a better understanding. She even taught her a new game, the “Guacamole Game” as they’ve dubbed it. It allows her mentee to quickly focus on what number of ingredients are needed to complete the recipe. It makes math fun and Janet’s mentee has become quite good at it. She even challenges her classmates and is confident in her math abilities now! Since they have met, her mentee’s math grades have jumped from “Needs improvement” to “Very Good” and have stayed consistent on that level ever since!
Janet makes sure to mix up the academics with fun, as she is quite a kid at heart herself. They have joined us for several program activities, including the Carpinteria Family Health Event, our trip to see the seal pups at the Seal Watch at the Carpinteria bluffs, our hike benefitting the Daniel Bryant Center, and other events. They also have a journal together that allows them to share their thoughts with one another when they cannot be together. Janet has been an amazing influence in her mentee’s life. Thank you so much Janet for all that you do!!
Saturday, February 5, 2011
January Mentor of the Month
Ben Williams
Ben and his mentee have been together for a little over a year, and in that short time there has been tremendous growth. Before being referred to the Mentor Program, Ben’s mentee did not always get the support he needed to thrive in school and in life. From the moment they met, they both understood that they were being matched to help improve the mentee’s academics and life skills.
Ben continues to motivate his mentee to read (a huge feat as many of you know) and created fun games to develop study skills thereby improving his language arts & math skills tremendously. They even compete at chess now!
Furthermore, Ben has stayed by his mentee’s side during the transition from elementary to junior high, a time that brings up sensitive and important issues like drugs and alcohol. Ben isn’t scared to have open and upfront conversations about this because he understands the importance of talking early. Their relationship continues to grow stronger with every meeting. Ben, your mentee is fortunate to have such an amazing mentor, and we are grateful for all that you do.
Ben and his mentee have been together for a little over a year, and in that short time there has been tremendous growth. Before being referred to the Mentor Program, Ben’s mentee did not always get the support he needed to thrive in school and in life. From the moment they met, they both understood that they were being matched to help improve the mentee’s academics and life skills.
Ben continues to motivate his mentee to read (a huge feat as many of you know) and created fun games to develop study skills thereby improving his language arts & math skills tremendously. They even compete at chess now!
Furthermore, Ben has stayed by his mentee’s side during the transition from elementary to junior high, a time that brings up sensitive and important issues like drugs and alcohol. Ben isn’t scared to have open and upfront conversations about this because he understands the importance of talking early. Their relationship continues to grow stronger with every meeting. Ben, your mentee is fortunate to have such an amazing mentor, and we are grateful for all that you do.
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