Nebo District’s Legacy Volunteer Mentoring Program

Submitted by ts on Thu, 01/14/2010 - 07:38

Nebo District’s Legacy Mentoring coordinators presented to Nebo School Board this month. The Legacy Volunteer Mentoring program is designed to match a carefully screened adult volunteer (Mentor) with a child (Mentee) in a school environment.

Nebo Legacy Mentoring is a partnership project through the Parent Teacher Association and Brigham Young University funded with a grant from the U.S. Department of Education Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools. Dr. Gary Wall, former school district superintendent, established this program during the 2008-09 school year.

Dr. Wall stated, “Nebo Legacy Mentoring has had a fantastic start. A total of 53 mentees were matched with 53 mentors including approximately 400 volunteer mentor visits at five elementary including Barnett, Park View, Santaquin, Taylor, and Wilson as well as two junior high schools Payson Junior and Mt. Nebo Junior High Schools.”

The opportunity to make lasting changes to lives requires enduring relationships. Research shows that mentoring efficacy increase the longer a relationship is maintained. Nebo’s goal is to expand and secure the Nebo Legacy Mentoring program so that a permanent change can come to as many students as possible.

January is National Mentoring Month. This is a perfect time to donate time. Mentoring is a conduit to connect members of different generations to one another. As a mentor, the volunteer chooses to pass on a legacy to a child in need. With the accumulated generations of wisdom, volunteers offer this necessary gift to a child with too few role models in his or her life. Changing the world through the noble sacrifice of time is a rewarding experience that epitomizes the best of humankind.

If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, please go to www.nebo.edu/mentor or call Mike at 801-735-7096.

Attributions
Lana H. Hiskey - Public Information Officer - Nebo School District