Governor's budget includes
mentoring at $250,000
Gov. Patrick released his FY2013 budget proposal yesterday and included $250,000 for the Mentoring Matching Grants line item (7061-9634). While this is less than our $350,000 request, it signals Gov. Patrick's commitment to investing in mentoring, despite what is sure to be a challenging budget year due to federal cuts and increased demands on the Massachusetts healthcare system.
This is the first step of the FY13 budget process, and your continued advocacy throughout the next several months is a critical part of the effort to increase this funding. Please take action now by doing the following:
- Reach out to your mentors and ask them to participate in our advocacy campaign. You can use this letter to ask for their help
- Participate in upcoming webinars on how to most effectively advocate for the funding (dates TBA in a future email)
- Invite legislators to your program so they can see your great work and powerful mentoring relationships
If you have questions, contact Elena Sokolow-Kaufman, manager of government relations and field resources at eskaufman@massmentors.org or 617.695.2476.
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Record turnout of volunteers for MLK Day service event
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Volunteers make kits at the
Worcester Youth Center
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MMP's Highland Street Corps Ambassadors of Mentoring coordinated an impressive "Packs for Progress" service event to commemorate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The group surpassed their goal of recruiting 120 volunteers, and wound up with 176 volunteers that assembled 462 hygiene kits at the Worcester Youth Center and Lawrence Senior Center. More than 3,000 items such as shampoo, toothbrushes, and toothpaste were divided among the kits that will be distributed to organizations serving homeless youth around the state. Check out some photos of the day!
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Two great opportunities to expand
quality mentoring
Half-time AmeriCorps positions available
Thanks to additional funding from the Massachusetts Service Alliance, MMP has the chance to expand our Highland Street Corps Ambassadors of Mentoring program for the remaining six months of the 2011-12 service year. An Ambassador will be placed at the United Way of Pioneer Valley to advance its regional mentoring initiatives, and at Future Chefs, a Third Sector New England program, where he/she will develop a model for a new mentoring program to support school-to-career transition of the youth apprentices in the culinary arts.
First Niagara grant to support Western MA initiatives
First Niagara Bank will generously donate $50,000 to support mentoring initiatives in the Western Mass. region, with an initial focus on a public awareness effort for National Mentoring Month. First Niagara will also work with MMP to identify high-performing mentoring programs and organizations that yield measurable results, and will provide funding for expansion of these programs to serve more youth.
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Additional news
- Congratulations to Partners for Youth with Disabilities' National Center on receiving two major grants that will allow it to provide training to Big Brothers Big Sisters programs and increase fitness and recreation program access to Boston youth with disabilities.
- MMP Director of Marketing and Partnerships Rich Greif is speaking at the "21st Century Advocacy: Using Social Media and Other Online Tools to Boost Your Impact" on Feb. 2. Register now!
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