by Max Marbut
Staff Writer
It is estimated that there are more than 45,000 at-risk children in Jacksonville who could benefit from being mentored by a caring adult. Even with the recruiting and training effort put forth in the past year, there are only about 4,500 volunteers who have stepped up as mentors.
“For mentoring to have an impact on our community, it must be done on a scale to match the need,” said Bill Sulzbacher, member of the Rotary Club of Jacksonville and a member of the Jacksonville Journey Intervention and Rehabilitation Committee. He was joined at the club’s Monday meeting by Linda Lanier, executive director and CEO of the Jacksonville Children’s Commission (JCC); United Way of Northeast Florida President Connie Hodges; and City Council member Michael Corrigan to encourage Rotarians districtwide and others throughout the community to volunteer as mentors.
“I have experienced it firsthand and I know it works,” said Hodges, speaking of when she mentored a young girl for five years – an experience that led to her decision to work in the nonprofit field.
Hodges also offered some statistics regarding the power of mentoring: One-third of all Duval County high school students – about 72,000 per year – do not graduate. A high school dropout will earn on average $270,000 less than a high school graduate over the course of their working life. The effects on society are equally important, she said. High school dropouts are 70 percent more likely to be unemployed and three times more likely to be on public assistance. In terms of crime statistics, 60 percent of jailed murderers in Duval County were high school dropouts.
“Our city’s economic health and future are directly affected by high school graduation rates,” Hodges said. “Students who are mentored improve their attendance, behavior and academic performance.”
Hodges also said in the past year, United Way has recruited 1,200 adult mentors for at-risk youth and the majority have discovered it’s easier than they thought before they joined.
“It’s not a big investment in a big program,” said Linda Lanier, executive director and CEO of the JCC. “It’s just taking the time to talk to a child and let that child know you are interested in them.”
Following a state and federal background check, volunteer mentors receive two hours of training about the opportunities available and the principles of positive youth development. The JCC-United Way mentoring program is school-based and each mentor is matched with a child by age group and/or school location.
“We look at kids as assets in the making, not as problems to be solved,” said Lanier. “We will match you with the best kid in the world. That’s when your adventure and journey begin.”
City Council member Michael Corrigan is also a member of the JCC board of directors as well as an experienced mentor. He said he will never forget his first mentoring experience years ago with the Big Brothers-Big Sisters program.
“I was a mentor to a 12-year-old boy. One day his mother told me they were going to Ohio for Christmas and it would be Ben’s first-ever trip on an airplane. Before the trip, we were riding bikes and I asked him if he was excited about going to Ohio and seeing snow for the first time. He said he wasn’t very excited about the trip and would rather spend the holidays with me.
“In that one sentence, Ben taught me more about being a mentor than I was able to teach him by being a mentor. I really hadn’t done anything. I just spent time with him. Mentoring is easy to do and it’s something we all can do,” said Corrigan.
“We are asking Rotarians to take the lead in finding more people who are willing to serve as mentors for one hour per week in a school setting,” said Sulzbacher, who added Rotary International District 6970 is mounting a coordinated effort to recruit more mentors from among the club’s local ranks.
“Think about why you are successful,” said Corrigan. “The Rotary Club is made up of leaders. Think of the people who were your mentors.”
For more information on how to become a mentor for an at-risk student, call United way at 390-3231 or the JCC at 630-7265.
356-2466