Local Leaders Applaud Volunteers During January 27 Celebration (Excerpt from the Washtenaw Youth Mentoring Coalition Press Release)
Washtenaw’s new Sheriff, Jerry Clayton, will promote the benefits of mentoring and publicly recognize local “super mentors” at a county-wide celebration in honor of National Mentoring Month on Tuesday, January 27 at the Neutral Zone in Ann Arbor.
Washtenaw Commissioners Conan Smith and Roland Sizemore, Jr., Washtenaw Administrator Bob Guenzel and Washtenaw Department of Children’s Services Director Lisa Greco will also address audience members. Clayton will present awards to the county’s 2009 “super mentors.”
The event, which is open to the public, begins at 4 pm at 310 E Washington St, Ann Arbor.
The 2009 Washtenaw Mentor of the Year is U. Ashwin Patel, who volunteers for the Washtenaw Trial Court Appointed Special Advocates Program.
“Ashwin has worked with the same family over all this time, providing a consistent thread of knowledge and caring concern while caseworkers and attorneys have come and gone,” Washtenaw CASA Program Director Ava Adler said. “Ashwin is calm, consistent and competent in all she does. She is always current in knowing what the kids need and she always brings those needs to the attention of the people responsible for meeting them.”
The case started with a 13-year-old boy and his 4- and 6-year-old stepsisters being removed from the care of their parents who suffered from serious mental problems. The girls were eventually returned to their parents care, but the boy remained in foster care and Ashwin met with him weekly. Eventually, the girls came back into foster care along with their new baby brother. Ashwin became re-involved with them, monitoring their adjustment to life in the home of relatives with whom they were placed.
A mentor is a caring, responsible, dedicated volunteer who guides a young person, helping him or her define and achieve personal goals. Mentored youth are 46% less likely to start using drugs than their un-mentored peers, according to the Child Trends Research Brief of 2004.
The Coalition is an alliance of 39 local youth-focused organizations, including schools, non-profits, government agencies and faith-based organizations. The Coalition enables its member organizations to network, share resources, save staff time and money by jointly recruiting volunteers and hosting events, and meet the Mentor Michigan Quality Standards for youth mentoring organizations.
The Coalition's website, www.washtenawmentoring.org, helps potential mentors and mentees connect via Coalition-member organizatins. Website visitors can also learn more about mentoring and its benefits, the Coalition, and upcoming youth events.
For pictures of the event, please see the picture album below:
